Short Stories
by Streamflower202
Summary: One-shots, challenges, the occasional fluff... you'll find all of that here! Feel free to submit ideas.
1. Under the Weather

**My first one-shot challenge submission... let's see how this goes!**

**1\. Under the Weather**

Darkmoon paced the clearing anxiously. He was one out of the five healthy cats left in the Clan, and he worried greatly for his mate, Shortwhisker. Shortwhisker was also one of the healthy cats, but Darkmoon had heard a faint wheezing in her chest the other night.

Darkmoon padded into the den, nuzzling his mate as she smiled at him with hollow eyes. "How are the kits?"

"You know how it is," he sighed. "Only Sparrowclaw is allowed into the elders' den. I'll ask him later, though."

Shortwhisker swallowed, a hint of desperation in her eyes. "I want to go hunting. Our kits need food to grow strong and healthy."

Darkmoon licked his mate's head fondly. "You just came back a few minutes ago. I'll go with Bluefeather to hunt."

Shortwhisker sighed, leaning back against her nest right as a screech erupted from the clearing. Darkmoon stood up straight, tense, until he recognized the grief in Honeytail's voice. Darkmoon lowered his head as he trudged out of the den, bracing himself for the sight.

Honeytail and Bluefeather were already dragging the limp body out into the clearing while Sparrowclaw limped after them with the traditional rosemary and lavender in his jaws. Darkmoon glanced at the dead paw, pitying how his brother had to try and help support the Clan so soon after the accident.

Darkmoon closed his eyes, remembering the dark day that Fernstripe, the medicine cat, had been unable to save Sparrowclaw's paw after it had been crushed by a boulder. That had been barely two moons before the Great Illness had struck and swept throughout all the Clans.

The dark brown tom spotted a pair of sad blue eyes peering out of the medicine cat den. Fernstripe had been tossing herbs outside of her den for the cats to use, but no cat knew what to do with them as Fernstripe was almost deaf and really could only hear when you shouted directly into her ear. No cat dared go near enough to talk to her, and she had lost her voice from the sickness.

Sparrowclaw hopped onto a large rock, wincing as his lame paw hit the side. Hissing, he straightened himself up and spoke. "Today, we lost one of our most valuable senior warriors, Wolfcry, to the Great Illness. Our fourth death in half a moon." Sparrowclaw swallowed. "I know you must be despairing. We're only one moon through leaf-bare and we've already lost four members of ThunderClan. But we need to focus on finding out what to do with the herbs that Fernstripe is attempting to give us."

Darkmoon nodded slowly, regarding his brother with pride. Sparrowclaw continued.

"I have a plan, but first, I'd like Wolfcry's mate, Honeytail, time to grieve. Would you like to speak?"

Honeytail shook her head. "I'd just like to sit vigil. Please, meet with the other cats and tell them your plan. We mustn't waste any time."

Sparrowclaw smiled gently at Honeytail. "Of course. All healthy cats, please come with me to the nursery."

The nursery had been deemed the safe den, the only den that wasn't rank with illness. The rest of the cats were not to leave their den except for once during sun-high to get sunlight and talk with the healthy cats from afar. No cat complained, since every cat was aware of how contagious this disease was.

"I believe we need to reconsider the idea of travelling to the other Clans," announced Sparrowclaw.

Murmurs of shock raised throughout the small crowd. "We vetoed that last time because Slicestar and Wolfcry said no, but Slicestar is sadly dead and Wolfcry was the deputy. Fernstripe cannot offer her input as the third-in-command, so it's up to us."

"But even one of us leaving takes away, what, a quarter of our prey supply? We're all weak and unable to travel," protested Shortwhisker.

Sparrowclaw dipped his head. "I understand. But what else can we do?"

"The other Clans are so sick," chimed in Bluefeather. "What if they don't have anything for us either? Then we'll have travelled all around the lake for no reason."

"We have to try." Darkmoon spoke up loud and clear. "What if they do? We could save lives doing this."

"We could also sacrifice more if something happens on the journey, or if we all die here waiting for that one cat," protested Shortwhisker, fear in her eyes. She was clearly concerned that her mate was volunteering for the journey, which Darkmoon had a sinking feeling that he was.

"I'll go."

...

Darkmoon barely recognized the white she-cat before him, as her pelt was matted and tangled, her eyes were rimmed with red and had dark circles underneath them, and she looked a hundred moons older.

"Whitedeer. My Clan has come to ask if you have any helpful knowledge on the Great Illness. We recently lost Wolfcry."

Whitedeer looked even more forlorn. "May he rest peacefully in StarClan," she murmured. Then she nodded and led Darkmoon into camp. Darkmoon pondered how the illness had made them trust each other so much, now that everyone was so weak.

"Our medicine cat has fallen ill," said Whitedeer. "We quarantined all of the ill cats. Six of us remain."

"How is Hawkstar?"

"He is on his last life," Whitedeer responded gravely.

Darkmoon was shocked. "He became leader barely four moons ago!"

"He lost one life in battle. The other seven were taken by the disease," sighed Whitedeer.

Darkmoon licked his muzzle anxiously. "Who is left?"

Whitedeer gave him a list of names and explained what they were currently doing, with one cat guarding the whole day and one the whole night. They were sending out day and night hunting patrols as well in an attempt to capture enough food for them all. Darkmoon exchanged his Clan's tactics before preparing to leave.

"Thank you for your time," said Darkmoon.

At RiverClan, the cats seemed to be faring better than WindClan and ThunderClan, as the lake had not frozen over yet and the cats had used a dam method for the river. The method included blocking off both ends of the river and then the healthy cats would sit and catch as much fish as possible, trying to get every fish trapped, before unblocking the dam to let more fish in. They repeated this every day and night, catching loads of fish. Unfortunately, RiverClan's medicine cat had passed away and they only had one apprentice—a sick one. The Clan graciously let Darkmoon take a few fish on his back for ThunderClan.

Darkmoon's mouth watered at the thought of the fish that was cleverly strapped to his back with vines. He had never tried fish, and right now he didn't care that it was slimy. However, he resisted the urge to gulp down the pike and journeyed on.

ShadowClan's prey pile had scrawny animals and frogs. They did not enjoy daytime hunting, but resorted to sending out twice as many day hunting patrols as night patrols. Darkmoon observed that, like his own Clan, the others were not marking their borders. He thanked StarClan that the other Clans weren't so stupid as to waste their energy on border patrols. ShadowClan also had built a second camp for the non-sick cats.

Darkmoon also observed several rogues, guessing that the Clan had offered them shelter in exchange for the rogues' help in hunting. They all lived in the non-sick camp, of course, but they looked well-fed. The ShadowClan leader, Pinestar, explained that they fed the rogues well because he was worried about losing their help.

Darkmoon finally made it back to ThunderClan territory. His bones ached like an elder's and his breath was raspy.

His legs wobbled.

He panted heavily.

His eyes began to slide closed.

He collapsed.

...

Rose sat idly from the top of a cliff, observing the Clans' demise. She smirked cruelly. She had come up with a concoction that made one of her cats sick and extremely contagious, then sent him across Clan borders. The foolish cats took him in, and before long, it had spread, as the symptoms arrived late. Their silly "Gatherings" had allowed for the disease to spread across borders as well.

Rose chuckled quietly to herself, pleased with her own skills. As a skilled herbalist, she specialized in poison.

She watched a skinny, dark brown tom collapse, fish rolling off of his back. The scene amused her, but _fish_... she shuddered to think that she might have to eat it when she conquered "RiverClan". She wrinkled her nose in distaste, but excitement was flooding through her heart.

Soon, her rogues would be able to offer the cats an antidote in exchange for power.

Her reign was about to begin.

...

**! SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK _Cinder (Marissa Meyer) _!**

**So this was kind of inspired by the letumosis from Cinder, when the Levana sends that illness to earth and then swoops in and saves them with an antidote in exchange for her becoming empress... I tried to make this in the style where the reader makes up the ending... anyways, hope you enjoy! This is my submission for TorrentClan's "Under the Weather" challenge!**


	2. Stormy Times (Part I)

**Request from mechwolfmach20! The request was a bit vague, so I'm sorry if it's not what you imagined, but I'll do my best to make it enjoyable! **

**Chapter 2: Stormy Times Part I**

Duskstar gazed sadly at his Clan. The queens were the only well-fed cats, since their kits were the top priority, and the elders had begun refusing food. They said, "The young ones need to eat. We're going to die soon anyways." Duskstar hated to admit that they had a point, but he hated to feed them less than the rest of the Clan.

"Duskstar, another patrol was attacked again," said Moonflame, trotting up to him. Duskstar's attention snapped to his deputy.

"Who was involved?"

"Deernose, Tanglebush, and Brackenfoot," replied Moonflame. She hesitated. "Shimmerpool is afraid that Brackenfoot will be permanently blind."

Duskstar swallowed, glancing in the direction of the medicine cat den. Shimmerpool was his secret mate, and only Moonflame knew that Brackenfoot was his and Shimmerpool's only surviving kit. She had graciously played the part of the mother, saving both her leader and medicine cat. Many cats still believed they were mates.

"Thank you for letting me know," he murmured, his voice husky. Moonflame stroked his back soothingly.

"Go visit," she urged gently. "I already did."

Duskstar knew that she had visited half in pity and duty, half in playing the motherly part. He thanked her again before hurrying to the medicine cat den.

Duskstar gazed at his mate and son, longing to press his nose against Shimmerpool's soft fur. Unfortunately, her apprentice, Birchpaw, was tending to the other two cats.

"How is he?" asked Duskstar.

Shimmerpool's eyes were dark. "I'm sorry."

Duskstar went numb for a solid minute before rage began to build up in his chest. Looking at the scars across Brackenfoot's eyes, he felt himself beginning to erupt. However, Shimmerpool luckily noticed and began to discreetly murmur in his ear. Her voice brought Duskstar back to the present and calmed him down.

"I will get revenge," vowed Duskstar. "I promise."

...

Night lounged on his moss, watching in satisfaction as the newly-conquered CliffClan cats worked their tails off. He had conquered both IceClan and CliffClan now. All he had to do was destroy that silly Ashstar from FernClan, which wouldn't be too hard. Night sneered as he thought of the cankerous old she-cat. The other Clan, SunClan, would be a bit trickier, as Duskstar was no fool nor an incompetent leader. Night was, however, working on weakening the Clan by launching attacks on hunting patrols.

Night got to his feet and nodded approvingly at the patrol that had just come in with blood on their teeth, fur between their claws, and victory on their faces. The patrol laughed and ordered the CliffClan cats to bring them food.

Misty walked up to him. "Night, we just got word of a Clan cat that wants to join us."

Night glowered. "Bring them to me."

Misty disappeared and came back with a small white she-cat with flaming amber eyes and ginger patches. She didn't seem afraid of the leader; in fact, she had a superior air about her.

"Hello, Night," she greeted coolly.

Night narrowed his eyes. "I see you've done research. However, I don't tolerate cats talking to me that way." He lashed out abruptly, making to nick her ears, but she ducked and rolled before springing neatly to her paws.

"Predictable," she sighed.

Night couldn't help but be impressed by the small yet agile cat. She had piqued his interest now. "What's your name?"

The cat regarded him for a moment before replying. "Moonflame."

...

Duskstar curled up next to his son in the medicine cat den. Shimmercloud slept in the nest right next to theirs, and oh! How Duskstar longed to curl up with his whole family. He didn't dare, however, with Birchpaw sleeping so close.

He rose early the next morning and assembled a bigger patrol of five, adding their fastest cat, Burrowclaw, in the mix in case of emergency.

Moonflame trotted in through the dirtplace tunnel. She looked at Duskstar carefully, analyzing his face. Then she spoke. "I'm sorry."

Duskstar nodded wordlessly. His son had not yet woken up, and he dreaded the moment that he realized he was blind.

"I sent out a patrol of five," he said. "Can you organize the noon patrol?"

"Of course," said Moonflame.

Duskstar turned away, not noticing the critical look Moonflame was giving him as she pondered his demise.

He was just about to go visit his son again when Harepaw trotted in, leading an elderly she-cat and a lithe blue-grey tom in.

"Ashstar, Crowfang," greeted Duskstar. "A pleasant surprise."

Ashstar wheezed. "Thank you. I have come to discuss the rogues." She coughed.

"Would you like me to fetch the medicine cat?" asked Crowfang. "If that's okay with you," he added to Duskstar.

"Of course," replied the leader. Ashstar thanked him as Crowfang left.

"We need to team up," presented Ashstar.

Duskstar looked down at his paws. "You know why I said no."

"I know our past, Duskstar. I didn't mean to kill your brother. How many times to I have to say it? It was a battle. Cats die sometimes." Ashstar's grey eyes flashed angrily.

"I'm sorry," muttered Duskstar. "I suppose I can put that aside for this cause. Let's discuss strategy with our deputies."

At the end of the meeting, Duskstar stood at the entrance, bidding farewell to the FernClan cats.

No one saw the small white-and-ginger she-cat slip out yet again...

...

A moon passed. Moonflame was busy giving information to Night, and not long ago had Duskstar sent her on a mission to spy on Night.

_"I want you to gain his trust, then report back at the next full moon."_

_Moonflame narrowed her eyes. "Fine."_

_Duskstar gave her a strange look. "Thank you."_

_Moonflame trotted off, dipping her head at the rogue guards as they let her in without a word. She immediately sauntered to Night's den._

_"Well, I have to live here now. Duskstar supposedly wants me to spy," said Moonflame, rolling her eyes._

_"Of course he does. But you only work for me, kitten, is that right?" A rumbling purr in his voice made Moonflame's spine tingle. _

_"Obviously," she purred right back._

_Night's eyes gleamed. "Good."_

Moonflame flicked her tail at Willowwhisper. "Food."

Willowwhisper had become Moonflame's personal slave, at the deputy had grown fond of her. She was harsh to the silver she-cat, but she occasionally did nice things for her, like share food.

Willowwhisper brought a whole rabbit to Moonflame's paws. Moonflame sliced off a few chunks and tossed them at Willowwhisper. "Bon appetit, I guess."

Willowwhisper dipped her head in thanks as the two dug into their meals in silence. Moonflame's gaze wandered to Willowwhisper. She noticed the slight rounding in her stomach.

"So you have time to fool around in this camp," sniffed Moonflame.

Willowhisper looked embarrassed. "This was actually from the night before Night took over."

Moonflame raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

A beat.

"Spottedstar."

Moonflame frowned. "Doesn't he have a mate?"

"Y-yes," muttered Willowwhisper abashedly.

Moonflame laughed. "Don't be embarrassed. I'm playing a mother because my leader decided to pursue a relationship with the medicine cat. They had a kit."

Willowwhisper looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yep. Adultery and forbidden relationships... ah, I truly am lucky to be in the thick of this." Moonflame chuckled cruelly. "Hey, we're friends, right?"

The silver she-cat looked taken aback. "I-I guess."

"Well, I need your help on a little project of mine..."

**I've decided to make this into two parts, since it's easier for me to write in chapters of a little over 1,000 words. See you next chapter! And please check out my other story, Frosted Desires. I update weekly!**

**Please review! I appreciate feedback, but please keep everything clean and hate without constructive criticism will be deleted and reported.**


	3. Stormy Times (Part II)

**Welcome back to this story! To the person who requested this, I know it's probably not what you were expecting (I actually made up the story as I went for the first part, but now I have a plan), but I hope all of my readers enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Stormy Times Part II**

Duskstar was checking on his son for what seemed like the hundredth time this half moon. Brackenfoot slowly recovered, but his anger at being blind never went away. Duskstar felt his heart shatter when he saw the hateful glare his son sent at Shimmerpool. The golden-brown tom now hated Shimmerpool for being unable to save his eyes, not knowing that she was his true mother. Duskstar could practically see the heartbreak in his mate's eyes every time she looked at Brackenfoot.

The leader walked outside and narrowed his eyes, examining the rising moon. It was full and yellow, which meant that it was almost time to meet Moonflame.

He licked Brackenfoot's sleeping head quickly before turning to trot up the path to his den, the highest point in camp. From there, he often watched over the whole camp, pondering many of his dilemmas. Today, he mused about what information Moonflame would give him.

...

Moonflame said goodbye to Willowwhisper and her three kits. Spottedstar had been killed for attempted escape, and Willowwhisper had been forced to hide her grief from her leader's mate, Appletail. Appletail now spent a lot of time with the queen, having found out about her mate's cheating and illegitimate kits. The night that Spottedstar had died, a little bird, namely a small white and ginger she-cat, had told her the whole story, with Willowwhisper confirming it. One look at the kits was all the proof necessary. One of them had Spottedstar's bright green eyes and lithe figure, while the another had the exact same pelt: mottle brown and red. The third kit had his father's wit and clumsy paws.

Appletail had been persuaded to join Moonflame's _project _when she heard that Willowwhisper had joined.

Moonflame hid her annoyance with a warm purr as Spike, the mottled kit, tripped over her paws with an innocent "oops!" before scrambling off to join his littermates. Spotted had been named after her father, the witty one with clumsy paws. Cloud had also been named after her father, but more subtly, since Spottedstar had once been Spottedcloud.

Moonflame waved goodbye to her friends and the kits before rising with a lazy yawn. She padded lethargically towards Night.

"You look tired," commented Night, smirking.

Moonflame rolled her eyes. Night had known that this night was the night that Moonflame would meet up with Duskstar. He had purposely put her on four patrols that day. One at dawn, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and she had just returned from an evening one. Night had seemed to take a special interest in her, which included testing her limits.

"I'm off," she said.

Night nodded. "I'll meet you by the willow tree in five nights."

Moonflame nodded. "Okay."

She left quietly, trying to evade the attention of her groupmates. As she neared the designated meeting point, she scented Duskstar's scent. It was not filled with fear. _Good_.

She approached the brown tom from behind, amusement lighting her eyes. "Well, long time no see."

Duskstar jumped and turned around. "Stars above, you scared me!" he exclaimed. Licking his ruffled chest fur, he continued, "So, what do you have for me?"

Moonflame pondered for a moment. "They have two escape routes. One is by their nursery, which is on the far end of camp, a little to the left of a direct line from the main entrance. The second one is behind the leader's den, which is on the far left."

Duskstar turned his head to StarClan, thinking hard. "Okay. I guess we should make an attack plan soon."

"Wait. They're planning an attack on you. I don't know when exactly, but I know they have an attack plan formed." The lies came smoothly. Yes, the rogues were planning an attack. It was in a little under a half a moon away, so Moonflame would have time to report defense measures.

Duskstar looked at her, fear on his face. Moonflame hid her satisfaction under a guise of mirrored panic. "Do you know how they plan to attack you?"

Yes, but Moonflame had an idea. "They plan to attack through the main entrance." This, again, was a half-truth. Moonflame had helped the rogues create the plan, so she found the chinks easily.

Duskstar seemed to think hard again. "Thank you. Let's go back to camp."

Moonflame dipped her head and followed the brown tom, excitement building up in her.

...

Moonflame was ready. She had spoken to many cats in the rogue group, SunClan, and FernClan. Her project was done. Now, all she had to do was wait for the rogues to attack.

Duskstar had set out extra guards by the main entrance recently. Moonflame smiled. _Perfect_. All she needed was a little bit of time.

The first yowls of battle came just after moonhigh, but the rogues had not realized that every cat was unable to sleep these days out of fear. Thus, the whole camp was awake when the attack came.

Moonflame held back, staying by the medicine den. She spotted Deernose locked in fake combat with Willowwhisper, just as she had instructed. She leapt onto a rock to watch as a SunClan cat came running, leading Ashstar and a huge patrol of FernClan cats to the battle.

Night was bowled over by Appleshock, a yellow FernClan tom. Night yelped in shock, screaming, "MOONFLAME! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME FERNCLAN WAS INVOLVED!"

Moonflame flicked her tail in amusement. Her cats were still mostly unharmed, still faking their battles. Finally, she jumped down, letting out a caterwaul so loud and screechy that every cat paused to look at her.

"Attack!" she howled.

Moonflame flung herself at Duskstar, who was caught off guard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willowwhisper and Deernose work together to bring Night down.

Duskstar ducked, but Moonflame twisted herself in the air and landed neatly on Duskstar's side, shoving him onto his back. There, she clawed mercilessly at his stomach and face.

A FernClan she-cat, Smallear, lunged at Moonflame, but one of Moonflame's cats, Rat from the rogues, intercepted her.

Moonflame left Duskstar unconscious. She glanced around, seeing Shimmerpool desperately swinging her paws against Scorchpaw. The burly red-and-black tom shocked when a large brown blue smashed into him. _Brackenfur!_

Moonflame smiled. She leapt at Shimmerpool. "You disgust me, she-cat." Moonflame sighed. "What talent you would've had if you'd joined me as my medicine cat. So sad, you must die." In one clean move, she sliced the medicine cat's neck open, a quick death. Moonflame nodded before attacking the blind tom, who was evenly matched with Scorchfur.

Eventually, Moonflame became aware that there were more corpses than cats left in the camp. Moonflame stepped back from Brackenfur's body, surveying the clearing. Several enemies were left, but they were all cowering behind one another, begging for mercy.

Moonflame leapt onto a large tree that oversaw the whole camp. "Welcome to a new era. MoonClan will dominate the forest for generations to come."

The cats all stared up at her with fear. Moonflame laughed.

"Oh, how the scent of death excites me."

...

**Even my English teacher said I had a thing for writing dark stories... I was really going to have this story have a happy ending, and I really tried in the beginning, but it's so much fun to write dark endings! **


	4. Night Changes (1) - Rising Moon

**This is the sequel to Stormy Times! Thank you to The Moonclanner for suggesting this idea! I'm hoping to finish this in three chapters, no longer, no shorter.**

**Edit: Sorry! I posted the wrong thing... Also I made some edits, since The Moonclanner gave me some feedback (Thanks, I realize that some stuff I wrote didn't make sense... oops)**

**Chapter 1: Rising Moon**

Moonstar grinned with satisfaction as she watched the slaves tiredly drag brambles and gorse to secure the camp barrier. Her mind wandered.

_"Do you think StarClan would give me nine lives?" Moonflame asked, looking at her closest friend, Willowwhisper._

_Willowwhisper shifted her paws uneasily. "No," she admitted._

_Moonflame sighed. "You're probably right. I'll just call myself Moonstar. Let me call a Clan meeting."_

_The pair walked out of the leader's den. Moonflame hopped onto the large rock. "MoonClan, gather 'round."_

_The cats of MoonClan all walked towards her, except for the ones guarding the prisoners. The group of slaves peered out of their den, frightened._

_"You will now address me as Moonstar, your leader," announced Moonstar. "My deputy will be Willowwhisper."_

_Willowwhisper hopped up to Moonstar's side proudly. "Thank you, Moonstar. I'm honored to serve beside you."  
_

_Moonstar nodded to the Clan. "Get back to work." She turned to her new deputy. "Go send out three hunting patrols and a border patrol."_

_Willowwhisper nodded, eager to get to work._

Moonstar padded down the slope from her den and observed Duskstar and Night work together on patching one hole of the barrier. The two had become surprisingly close.

"Shh! She'll hear you!"

"You shush!"

"Why are you both so loud?"

Moonstar was amused. Willowwhisper's kits were the only cats she didn't sneer or snarl at. That time would come when they were apprentices. Let them have their fun for now.

She let the kits pounce on her tail, and she acted shocked. "Oh no! You got me," she sighed, flopping over dramatically. The kits giggled.

Pinekit, Spottedkit, and Crescentkit were three moons old. Spottedkit was, of course, named after their deceased father who Willowwhisper had not hesitated to execute to prove her loyalty. Crescentkit was named after Moonstar, and Pinekit was simply... Pinekit.

Moonstar smiled, remembering the day she had forced each one of her Clan cats to torture a slave. A few of the slaves died, but the rest were healing.

...

Queen pounced, feeling satisfied as the squirrel let out a squeak. She nipped its neck, killing it quickly and painlessly.

Fox nodded to her as he met up with her. He clutched a raven in his jaws. The two of them headed back to where Leopard was cleaning up and guarding their den.

"Any danger?" inquired Queen as she always did upon returning to the den.

"Nope. Looks like you two had a good haul," replied Leopard.

Fox simply nodded wordlessly. Queen scratched her neck, feeling bugs under her lavender collar. Leopard helped her scratch underneath it.

The three shared their meal, watching the sun move and the birds fly. After a nap, Queen was ready to go out hunting again. She spoke to a very sleepy Leopard before slipping out.

The afternoon air was cool and refreshing compared to the stuffy den. Queen relished in the scent of newleaf, hearing birds twitter all around her. The light fell through the leaves, creating shadows of all shapes and sizes. Queen sat by the river, watching the crystal water rush by.

Suddenly, a heavy force knocked her to the side. She grunted, throwing her attacker off. She eyed him warily. It was a lithe grey tom with sneering yellow eyes. Queen felt her stomach sink as his eyes locked on her collar.

"Ah, what do we have here?" he smirked. "A kittypet!"

Queen felt a surge of anger, but she pushed it down. "Nice to meet you, too," she replied coolly. "I'm Queen."

"I'm Rat," said the tom. "Queen! What a soft name. What else would you expect from a kittypet?"

"At least my name isn't synonymous to weak little prey," hissed Queen. Her kittypet background was something she had tried to run from. The only reminder was her stupid collar, and she still had not found a way to get rid of it.

"Actually, rats are vicious. They're quick, wily, and everything opposite to a kittypet," answered Rat.

Queen snarled. "Would you quit calling me that? I'm not a kittypet anymore, if you haven't noticed.

"Once a kittypet, always a kittypet," taunted Rat. "Kittypet, kittypet!"

Yowling with rage, Queen pounced, scratching and biting. Rat was taken aback at first, but he quickly rolled and attacked back. She was thrown backwards, but scrambled to her feet and deftly dodged when Rat leapt. As he sailed by her, she grabbed his paw in her jaws, yanking him back and twisting his paw until a loud snap was heard. Rat looked shocked.

"What did you do?" he hissed.

Queen didn't reply. Instead, she lunged, scratching and biting his face until he was running away. "That'll teach you!" she yowled after him. "I'm not just a kittypet!"

...

Rat limped back to the camp, head down, ears flat. He tried to get to the den as quickly as possible, but a ginger paw stopped him. He glanced despairingly up into Moonstar's face. She was angry.

"What is the meaning of this?" she hissed.

Rat cowered. "I-I met these rogues," he spluttered.

Moonstar sighed, sitting back and licking a claw idly. "You're a terrible liar.

"I swear!" he said. "These two rogues... They overpowered me!"

"Liar," singsonged Moonstar. In a flash, her claws were at his throat. "Tell. Me. The. Truth!" she snarled, digging in her claws slightly.

Terror shot through Rat. "It was a kittypet!" he yelped.

Moonstar stared at him with cold eyes. Then she burst into laughter. "What a jokester! Hear that, Willowwhisper? He just said a _kittypet_ beat him!" Moonstar howled with laughter, rolling on the floor.

"I'm serious," he muttered.

Moonstar stopped laughing and stared at him. Then she snarled. "You do not eat for the next two days for your weakness. That ought to teach you a lesson," she hissed. "I will hunt this kittypet myself and teach him a lesson."

"Er, it was a her," mumbled Rat.

Moonstar hissed, and Rat flinched. He scuttled away before she could claw him again.

...

Moonstar sat in her den, watching the full moon. She kept replaying Rat's words in her head over and over again.

_That weak little—I can't believe I let him live after humiliating my Clan!_ she thought.

She padded outside, grabbing Willowwhisper and Deernose, her two most trusted warriors. "We need to have a meeting," she hissed.

They all settled into Moonstar's den. The two warriors looked at their leader expectantly.

"Rat came to me today with wounds. He admitted to being defeated by a kittypet." Moonstar was pleased at the looks of disgust that passed over the warriors' faces. "We must hunt down this kittypet. Rat has never been weak. Either something is wrong with him or this kittypet is truly something different."

"Of course. Shall I organize a patrol?" asked Willowwhisper.

"Perfect," purred Moonstar.

She watched as her deputy stood, dipping her head respectfully, before leaving side by side with Deernose. Moonstar nodded approvingly as Willowwhisper spoke to Pebblesplash, Grouse, and Ambereye. Those were three cats she could trust. Willowwhisper brought the cats to Moonstar's den.

Moonstar smiled without amusement. "Tomorrow, you four will head out and find this kittypet. I want her brought back to me alive, you hear me?" hissed Moonstar, looking every cat in the eye.

"Yes, Moonstar," the warriors chorused, eager.

...

Leopard nodded at her. "You're on moss duty today, Queen. I'm hunting, and Fox is guarding the den."

Queen nodded. She left the den, padding not far from the den and Leopard. Wandering to a tree, she clawed the moss neatly, slicing an even break. Then she settled down to look for thorns and brambles.

She was just about to pull out the last thorn when a large weight pushed her onto her belly from behind, shoving her muzzle into the dirt.

"You must be the kittypet," a voice hissed into her ear.

Struggling, she pulled her muzzle out of the dirt, letting out a shriek before her face was shoved back into the earth. Slowly, the cat pushed down on her neck, suffocating her.

She vaguely heard the cat speaking to someone else. "Willowwhisper, we've got her."

Suddenly, the pressure was released from her neck as a vicious cry erupted from the air above her. She coughed and spluttered, pushing herself up to stand. A scarred, spotted tan she-cat was viciously fighting an amber she-cat and a dark brown tom. _Leopard!_ Queen looked to the right and saw Fox nipping at a gray she-cat's paws while dodging another paler light grey she-cat.

Queen shook herself, catching her breath, before jumping in the fray. She attacked the dark brown tom, and swung her forepaws viciously at his eyes. He dodged neatly, smirking, before pinning her. She yowled, but he shoved his tail into her mouth. She turned and saw Leopard pinned in a similar manner under the amber she-cat, with Fox's shoulders and haunches pushed down into the dirt by the darker gray she-cat.

"Moonstar will be pleased," said the light grey she-cat, her eyes glimmering in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a dusky tom hopped out of the bushes carrying a leaf packet. The whole patrol looked surprised, but the tom muttered something in the light grey she-cat's ears and she nodded to the other cats, as if assuring them. However, she still looked suspicious as the tom began circling around.

The tom was smiling cruelly as he stalked around, looking smugly into the faces of the prisoners. Then he opened his leaf packet. He first shoved some seeds into Fox's mouth, then Leopard's. As he leaned over her, she saw that he was using poppy seeds. _No!_

She struggled, but the brown tom slammed her face harder into the earth. The light grey she-cat wrenched Queen's jaws open, and the dusky tom dropped the remaining seeds down her throat. He massaged her neck until the seeds went down completely.

The world began to fade...

...

Moonstar watched her warriors drag back three limp bodies. She narrowed her eyes. _Weren't they only supposed to bring back the kittypet? _Her eyes wandering, she caught the purple collar on the scarred black she-cat. Her companions included a speckled tan she-cat and a light ginger tom.

She hopped down from her scouting tree and confronted the patrol. "What is the meaning of this?" she growled.

Willowwhisper stepped forward. "The kittypet apparently had rogue friends. They attacked us when we had the kittypet pinned down, but we successfully defeated them."

Moonstar's gaze snapped to Deernose, who was holding an empty leaf packet. "And why are you holding that?"

Deernose licked his jaws nervously. "I saw the fight happen and grabbed a packet of poppy seeds to make them lose consciousness faster."

"You were not on this patrol," hissed Moonstar.

Deernose lowered his head submissively. "I'm sorry, Moonstar." He glanced at her pleadingly.

Moonstar swallowed angrily. "Your punishment will be that you will be confined to camp for a moon. If I catch you sneaking out, that's another moon and some very nasty scars," she snarled.

Deernose's eyes widened. "Of course, Moonstar," he mumbled, ducking his head again.

Moonstar glanced distastefully at the three bodies. "Dig a den and leave them there. There is to be four guards at all times surrounding them."

"Yes, Moonstar," chorused the patrol, Deernose notably more meekly.

Moonstar turned and stalked back, hiding her satisfaction. _Soon, I will rule the whole forest, destroying anything and anyone who dares get in my way. Starting with the kittypet..._

**...**

**Like I said, I have a thing for dark stories. This chapter is longer than usual, but I'm planning to make all the parts of the story around 2,000 words to fit in three chapters (I want three chapters because of some very specific chapter names that I have planned!) **

**Please review! The next chapter will be centered around Queen and her life as a prisoner, then the last chapter will be Queen vs. Moonstar (not sure if that's too big of a spoiler, but I feel it's pretty obvious that it's going to come down to the two of them!)**


	5. Night Changes (2) - Moonhigh

**Hellooo! Thank you to The Moonclanner again! Your request was very specific! And yes, I promise to put that ending :) Also, the last chapter ended like that because I have plans (they will still stick to your request), and I still need to keep my character personalities the way I created them! **

**Also, I just realized I wrote Willowwhisper in as silver in "Stormy Times", and then changed it to light grey. Sorry! Willowwhisper is light grey.**

**Last thing, ignore the time I posted the unfinished part of the chapter, I meant to put a different document. Oops!**

**Chapter 2: Moonhigh**

Queen blinked groggily, seeing the bodies of her friends stir as they awoke. They were inside a muddy den with hastily-thrown-together nests and a tightly woven wall so thick that the prisoners had no chance of escape. The entrance was small and round, and there were four cats chatting outside. A shrew and a mouse had been tossed inside.

She padded around nervously, sniffing at the edges of the den. The clearing outside was abuzz as cats shared tongues and walked around. There were four guards outside conversing quietly, their ears pricked backwards towards the prisoners. Queen took a deep breath to calm herself down and padded to the freshkill. An itch started up on her neck.

Queen scratched at her collar, frustrated. She loved the collar, yes, but it could be infuriating sometimes. Sighing, she gave up and tore into the mouse, leaving a third for her denmates.

She padded over to her friends. Leopard was sitting up now, grooming her fur, and Fox was stretching. His nose quivered, and he padded to the mouse and finished it, then ate a third of the shrew.

"What happened?" asked Leopard quietly, looking at Queen.

Queen swallowed. "I don't know. I'm assuming those cats who drugged us kidnapped us, obviously."

"What do we do?" Fox spoke up.

Queen tilted her head to the side and considered for a moment. They could try to escape, but based on her earlier assessment, there were no weak spots and tearing a whole in the wall would take ages and might rip out a few claws. The entrance was guarded by too many cats to fight their way out, and it seemed they were in some sort of camp since so many cats were outside past the guards.

The brown tom that had pinned Queen down stuck his head inside the den. "Moonstar will come fetch you for your punishment, since you were in our territory," he growled. "All of you. Be ready." He walked away quickly.

Queen was curious. "What does Moonstar mean?" she asked quietly to her companions.

Leopard shrugged. "No idea. Anyways, we can handle this 'Moonstar' cat, right?"

Apparently, she was too loud. Loud laughter echoed from the front of the den.

"Hear that, Pebblesplash? They think they can _handle_ Moonstar! Isn't that hilarious?"

"Yes, it is, Nettleblaze! I wonder what Moonstar would think of that."

"Isn't it obvious? She'd probably be angry, with that temper of hers."

"Hush, do not speak ill of Moonstar, Mushroom."

"Sorry, Spider."

The laughter died down as the cats shifted nervously outside.

After a while, Queen grew bored. An idea popped in her mind. She grinned mischievously. "I'm in a hoooole!" she started to sing. "A gross, dirty hoooole! I'm super booooored!" Her singing got louder and louder, and she started banging and scratching to the beat. _Bum bum buh BAH bum bum buh BAH_. Leopard and Fox were staring at her in alarm. She looked at them expectantly. A slow smile grew on Leopard's face, and she nudged Fox. The ginger tom nodded, smiling as well.

"A hooole!" they all sung together.

The guards turned to look at them nervously.

...

Moonstar growled as she heard the annoying voice of the kittypet singing loudly, her friends echoing her. The guards were anxiously trying to hush her, but failing. _She must be punished_, thought Moonstar. An idea formed in her mind.

Moonstar smiled with satisfaction as she imagined what she would do to Queen. She padded outside and was about to head to the prisoner den, but movement caught her eye. She swung her head around, scanning the clearing until she saw Duskstar gobbling down a mouse in the corner, trying to look inconspicuous. Moonstar felt anger build up in her. _How dare he smuggle food?_ An idea formed in his mind. _Let's see if he dares do that again after this..._

Moonstar slunk to the Clan cats' den, peeking inside. "Brackenfoot, come outside," she growled roughly.

She heard a cat stumble to the entrance. His eyes, though blank and blind, were filled with fear. Swallowing, he spoke. "Yes, Moonstar?"

Moonstar purred sinisterly. "Come here." She led him over to where Duskstar was eating. The former leader slowly turned around, his eyes growing wide as he saw his son.

"What are you doing?" whispered Duskstar.

Moonstar tilted her head slightly to the side. "Well, if you want extra food, it comes with a cost. You haven't paid for your meal, so I'll do it for you." Suddenly, in a flash, Moonstar lunged at Brackenfoot. She clawed one long slash across his face, then pinned him down.

"Get off of him!" hissed Duskstar.

Moonstar paused, turning to look at him. "What did you just say?" She dug in her claws slightly, drawing blood from Brackenfoot's neck.

Duskstar looked panicked as his eyes found the blood on Brackenfoot's neck. "N-nothing."

"Good," hissed Moonstar. She bit Brackenfoot's ear, tearing it a bit. The blind warrior howled with pain, which made Moonstar angrier. She smacked his face hard, leaving a score of clawmarks.

She glanced up and saw her Clanmates watching with mild interest. They were no strangers to torture, and many of them ignored Brackenfoot's cries.

Moonstar stepped off of the blind cat. "Go back to the den. And Duskstar," she added, her gaze swinging to glare at the tom menacingly, "don't _ever_ let me catch you doing that again."

Duskstar whimpered before joining his son, muttering his heartbroken apologies as he guided him back to the den.

_Where was I? Ah, yes. The kittypet and her friends._ Moonstar sneered, padding over to the den. "You three. Come with me." She glanced at the guards, who had straightened and were standing alert, watching Moonstar attentively and eagerly. "You guard us."

Moonstar waited impatiently as the kittypet and her friends climbed out of the den. She flicked her tail, and the three of them followed her. She turned and saw the kittype smiling and waving her tail at the onlookers, greeting them casually and asking them if they were excited. She saw the kittypet wink at a few cats and laugh as she joked with them. _She treats this like a party! She has no idea what's in store for her,_ thought Moonstar, glowering.

In the clearing, Moonstar beckoned to Willowwhisper, who was watching her kits play. Willowwhisper immediately murmured goodbye to her kits and trotted over to Moonstar. _Her loyalty is to me and not her kits... how lucky am I to have her as deputy?_ Moonstar murmured something into the light grey she-cat's ear, and Willowwhisper nodded.

"Of course," agreed Willowwhisper. Then she padded away.

Moonstar turned back to the prisoners. She studied them. The kittypet was smiling as if she weren't afraid, as if it was her family surrounding her. She smirked as Moonstar's gaze met hers. The leader's gaze darkened.

The tan, scarred she-cat on the kittypet's left had a serious, stoic expression. She seemed to be analyzing the camp and studying everything around her. Finally, the light ginger tom with the pretty blue eyes was looking down at his paws. He seemed shy. Moonstar almost laughed.

"Hey, I'm assuming you're Moonstar," the kittypet boldly said. "I'm Queen. Nice to meet you."

Moonstar scowled. "This is no time for pleasantries."

Queen tilted her head, still smiling. "No? Later, then, when it's more convenient for you. Don't worry, I'm a patient cat." She purred.

Moonstar felt anger, but curiosity also pricked at her. This cat seemed unafraid in a camp full of hostile cats. She also seemed extremely cunning. Moonstar hated to admit that this cat might be a danger to her.

She turned as she heard pawsteps. Willowwhisper approached with three Clan prisoners. Appleshock and Flipnose from FernClan, two brothers, were trembling with fear as they huddled together, gazing at the hungry gazes of the MoonClan warriors. Oliveleaf was a little bolder, sitting up straight, but she still cowered beneath the gaze of Moonstar.

Moonstar turned back to the kittypet. "Rat told me that you, a kittypet, beat him. One of my senior warriors and top fighters! I would like to put your skills to the test. Fight these prisoners. You don't have to kill them, though I strongly encourage that. You just have to beat them."

"And if we don't?" challenged the tan she-cat.

Moonstar's gaze snapped to her. Although she would never admit it, Moonstar was rather impressed by how the prisoner didn't shrink under her cruel glare. "Oh, isn't it obvious? My warriors will kill you right here, right now."

The tan she-cat licked her jaws nervously, but didn't speak. Queen was staring at her, her head cocked slightly to the side as she studied the leader. Then her gaze shifted ever so slightly to the Clan prisoners, sizing them up.

"Appleshock," called Moonstar. The tom padded nervously to her side, glancing back at his brother. "You will fight the tan she-cat."

"That's Leopard!" sing-songed Queen. "This is our punishment?"

"Duh," hissed Moonstar.

Queen tilted her head. "Interesting. Okay."

Moonstar narrowed her eyes as she spotted a flash of nerves in Queen's eyes.

_So she's not as brave as she pretends,_ mused Moonstar silently. Turning back to Leopard and Appleshock. "On my word... fight!"

At first, neither cat moved. Moonstar hissed and leapt onto Flipnose, flicking her tail at Willowwhisper. Her deputy obediently jumped onto Queen, and the kittypet yelped.

"If you don't attack, your loved ones will die," snarled Moonstar, glaring at her captives. They watched with wide eyes.

"Sorry," whispered Leopard.

"Me too," answered Appleshock in the same hushed tone.

Then they leapt at each other.

Moonstar watched as Leopard attacked. The tan she-cat fought viciously and knew how to balance. Moonstar wondered if maybe Leopard could be useful to her...

Next, the ginger tom who Moonstar learned was Fox fought Flipnose. His style of fighting was very different from Leopard's. Fox relied more heavily on his paws and brute force. He wasn't slow, simply not as quick as Leopard or Willowwhisper. However, he easily pinned the brown tom within moments.

Moonstar examined Queen's expression as she sauntered up to meet Oliveleaf. She looked apologetic when she looked at Oliveleaf, but there was determination in her eyes. _She likes a good fight, it seems,_ Moonstar observed. When the two she-cats started fighting, Queen darted in and out, nipping at Oliveleaf's paws and then darting under her belly when Oliveleaf lifted her paws.

Moonstar hated to admit how impressed she was by the kittypet's fighting. Suddenly, Queen yowled in rage. Oliveleaf had grasped the kittypet's collar with her jaws, yanking hard. Queen narrowed her eyes, then smacked Oliveleaf's muzzle hard with a sheathed paw, forcing the black she-cat to let go. When Oliveleaf lifted her paws up to smash down on Queen's head, Queen rose up and grabbed one of the black she-cat's paws, twisting it and biting until a _crack_ was heard. It reminded Moonstar of what had happened to Rat.

She attempted and failed to hide her shock when Oliveleaf tried to dodge Queen's leap, but the kittypet twisted in the air with surprising speed and landed neatly on Oliveleaf's shoulder, the force rolling the former warrior onto her back.

"I win," announced Queen, smiling widely at Moonstar. "Woohoo! And a round of applause for me! Thank you, thank you—Oh, sorry, Oliveleaf—Why thank you everyone, I appreciate your support!"

Moonstar tried to be furious about Queen's antics, but she couldn't help replaying the kittypet's agile moves and strong attacks. They were precise and focused, but Queen had still managed to beat Oliveleaf without harming her much. Leopard's speed and skill had beaten a tom who had once been known for being the best fighter in all the Clans. Finally, Fox was rather quiet, but he was strong and would did better in battle than some of Moonstar's cats. She placed a cool expression on her face. "I would like to speak with you three. I will have four guards watching us as usual."

...

Queen took a deep breath. The fight had been exhilarating, and she was surprised by the anger she had felt when Oliveleaf had grabbed her collar. _This collar is probably my most prized possession, but do I really know how I feel about it?_

Queen followed Moonstar, grinning and waving at cats like a party. Finally, they reached the leader's den. Moonstar settled down on her nest, looking each cat in the eye before she spoke.

"I saw your skills today. They were... acceptable," sniffed Moonstar. Rolling her eyes, she continued. "I would like... to offer you a position in Moonclan."

Queen gaped. "Um, what?"

Moonstar rolled her eyes again. "I _said_, you can join Moonclan if you want. As senior warriors." The leader seemed to choke the words out.

Queen's mind flashed quickly. Should she take the offer? Quickly weighing the pros and cons, she had an idea. "We would be honored to join you," purred Queen.

"Good," Moonstar said, her face betraying nothing and her eyes betraying satisfaction. "You will have a spy until they deem you trustworthy. Do NOT let me down."

Several days passed. Leopard and Fox had been incredibly nervous, asking Queen what she thought she was doing. Queen said nothing, simply hushing them and going about daily life. Finally, she decided to tell her friends. She beckoned them to the warriors' den when it was completely empty.

In their den, she glanced around quickly and saw no one. Then she turned to her companions. "I plan to escape this place and take the Clan cats to freedom," she whispered, so quiet that the other cats had to lean in very close to hear.

Leopard coiled back in shock, staring at her. "How?" she whispered.

Queen swallowed. "I will recruit the Clan cats' help first, then slowly make my way through the Moonclan cats who I can trust."

"What if you tell the wrong cat?" whispered Fox.

Queen took a deep breath. "Then I will fight to my last breath to give the Clan cats their freedom. It will come down to me versus Moonstar in the end anyways."

Leopard gazed at her with confusion in her eyes. "But why? Why risk everything for these cats?"

"Because if we don't, our safety is compromised too. After I've seen all of this, I can't leave without helping the Clan cats. If I do nothing, we stay in this horrible place forever. If we leave, we abandon cats who need our help. I hope you two will stick with me," said Queen.

"Of course. We're together to the end," Leopard said.

Just then, a former-Fernclan-now-Moonclan tom named Sandspike peeked inside the den. "Noon patrol, Queen," he said, no emotion at all in his voice.

Queen got to her feet as her friends escorted her to the den. She bid them farewell and followed Sandspike, unaware of the gleaming yellow eyes watching her from the shadows of the den, ears pricked in curiosity.

...

Duskstar tended to his son, using cobwebs from the ceiling of the prisoners' den. He had learned basic medicine from his mate. _Shimmerpool_. Duskstar's heart ached as he remembered his deputy slice open Duskstar's love's neck open. Duskstar had tried to reach her, but two rogues had pushed him back. He had thought his son was dead, too, when he saw Moonstar standing over Brackenfoot's body, but he had had a heartbeat and soon woke up.

"Dad?" Brackenfoot asked softly.

"Yes, son?" Duskstar asked, licking the blood away from a the tear in Brackenfoot's ear.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?"

Duskstar sat back and looked at his son sadly. He opened his jaws to speak, but a voice cut in.

"I'd like to speak to you two."

Duskstar turned around and saw Leopard, a new senior warrior, step forward, beckoning with her ears. They followed her to a secluded corner of the large den.

There, Leopard told them many things, including Queen's plan. She asked them to spread the word around to anyone who was willing to help them.

"That's incredibly risky," Duskstar commented. He rather admired Queen's guts.

"I know. Queen will come talk to you in a few days," Leopard said.

With that, she was gone.

...

Queen entered the den. Practically the whole crowd turned and faced her expectantly.

"We're with you, Queen," said Duskstar, stepping forward. "All of us."

Queen smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Duskstar. Anyways, I have recruited only a few Moonclan cats—Graysmoke and Azul. I will do my best to keep passing on the word, but we cannot plan any attacks while Moonclan still outnumbers us by so much."

"A party," sneered a voice.

Queen whirled around, her heart pounding, as Rat leapt out of the shadows. His paw was lifted off of the floor. Queen assumed a cool face, one that she had quickly mastered as a kit. "Hello, Rat. How's your paw?"

She expected Rat to glare at her, but Rat instead looked thoughtful. "So, I heard your whole plan," he said. "I—"

"Tell Moonstar if you want," interrupted Queen, glaring. "Tell her everything, and I'll fight her myself."

Rat laughed. "As I was _saying_, before you so rudely interrupted me, I'd like to join you."

Stunned, Queen stared and stared. "What?" she finally blurted out.

Rat sighed. "A bit daft, are you? Or maybe simply deaf. I'm your spy, so you don't really have to worry about anyone else watching you. Besides, I don't much like Moonstar."

Queen swallowed, daring to let hope shine through. "If you're really serious, I need help recruiting Moonclan cats onto our side."

Rat nodded. "A few of my friends talk to me sometimes about the unfairness. I'm sure they'd be willing to help."

Queen nodded as Rat slipped away. She turned as Duskstar nudged her.

"Do you trust him?" he muttered.

"No, but this is the best chance we have. Besides, he knows our plan already. His offering to help, even if he betrays us, changes nothing."

"But are we really going to talk to him about the plan? What if he tells Moonstar?" Duskstar asked, glancing anxiously at Brackenfoot.

"We'll tell the Moonclan cats last, possibly even right before we attack," murmured Queen. "You guys stay here. I'll visit in three days."

...

Queen had recruited one more warrior, a former Sunclan warrior who had only said yes to help Moonstar in the first place for power. Unfortunately, Moonstar had not given anything to the cat, and she had grown bitter. Her name was Rubyfang.

Queen padded to Rat, who was eating freshkill. "Who?" she asked quietly, sitting down next to him with a vole.

"Spider, Dawnpool, Nettleblaze, Parrot, and Shine have agreed to join us," muttered Rat, surveying the clearing to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"That's really good. Thank you for your advice on that move," she said more loudly, standing up and burying her bones.

"Anytime," Rat replied in his normal voice.

That evening, she used the dusk for camouflage as she slipped to the Clan cats' prison. She nodded to the guards, who happened to be Rubyfang, Nettleblaze, Spider, Graysmoke, and Azul. She suspected that it was Rat's doing. They all nodded at her respectfully, excitement shining in their eyes.

She padded into the den, gazing over all the alert cats. "We have formed a plan," she announced.

The cats gathered eagerly around as Queen told them what she had decided, Leopard and Fox joining her soon after she began talking. The whole den discussed quietly flaws and loopholes, making their plan as solid as could be. They all ensured that the guards outside could not hear, as they were still untrustworthy at the moment.

"Remember, since you guys are underfed, numbers and surprise are our friends here," Queen whispered.

Duskstar nodded. "We will see you in two nights when we jump into action."

Queen nodded, nerves prickling her spine, though she would never show it. Instead, she grinned. "I believe in us."

**Will they be successful? (Of course you, The Moonclanner, know how this will end ;)) Please review!**


	6. Night Changes (3) - Moonset

**Helllo again!**

**Chapter 3 - Moonset**

After half a moon, Queen had about a third of Moonclan on her side and all of the Clan cats were ready to attack. Leopard, Fox, and Rat had been extremely successful, since many cats liked them and Rat had lots of relations in Moonclan. However, not many cats liked talking to Queen, especially about what they disliked about Moonstar. It was a rumor that Moonstar favored Queen, since she was incredibly impressed with how the former kittypet fought and had a strange fascination with Queen. Cats also looked at her oddly, or more specifically, oddly at her neck, and Queen knew it was probably her collar.

Queen settled down next to Rat as she always did at sunset. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. The tom's paw had healed, and Queen found that she really liked Rat—like a lot. She was afraid that Rat didn't feel the same, though.

Most of the Clan, however, thought that they were mates. Moonstar was disapproving of mates, since she thought that they made the Clan weak, but she also wasn't stupid enough to think that mates weren't a big part of growing the Clan. This made it easier to whisper to each other, since cats would assume that they were just being mates and wouldn't ever intrude.

"The cats should be ready to attack soon, maybe in a couple of nights," murmured Queen.

Rat nodded. "So, Rubyfang will lead the patrol that takes the warriors," he said. "It's the biggest patrol."

"Yes. You will lead the fight against the elders. Remember: we are not trying to HARM them, we are trying to knock them out so that they don't cause trouble. Do NOT kill any of them unless it is absolutely necessary, which it shouldn't ever be," Queen said.

Rat nodded again. "Definitely. Duskstar will lead the fight against the apprentices," he said. "And Spider will be the only one who knocks out Lucy. He should not kill her, right?"

Lucy was the medicine cat, formerly part of Night's group. It intrigued Queen when she heard the horror stories about Night, but when she talked to him, he sounded kind and eager to defeat Moonstar.

"Correct, perfect. Appleshock and Flipnose are in charge of the first backup patrol, the ones who guard the west side of camp. They will drop down from the trees after a few minutes of fighting. Leopard and Fox will guard the east side of camp and drop down a few minutes after the first backup."

"And they will send down cats one at a time if another cat needs help before they drop down," added Rat.

"Yes. The rest of the cats will be led by Oliveleaf, who will be the everything patrol. They don't have a specific place to be, they just attack wherever to reinforce our attack before the backups come in. I myself will find Moonstar."

"Okay. What about Willowwhisper? She's dangerous, as the most loyal cat to Moonstar, but she's a queen." Rat looked worried.

Queen sighed. "I mean... I expect she will fight. Her kits can eat solid food, so maybe we should take her hostage?"

Rat frowned. "That sounds like something Moonstar would do."

"I know, but we can't just let her go, and we can't kill her because she has kits."

"Alright. Her kits stay with her," Rat replied firmly.

"Of course. Maybe you should take a patrol to do that, a small one for the nursery, since Willowwhisper's the only queen. Let Nettleblaze take over the elders," suggested Queen.

"Okay."

With that, they started sorting cats into patrols and set a date. Then Queen padded to the Clan cats' den. As usual, the cats guarding were cats loyal to Queen.

"We have created a plan. I'm going to separate you into patrols, so please stand with your patrol when I split you. Rat and I have chosen the leaders for each patrol, but if anyone has a problem, please don't hesitate to speak up," Queen announced.

When she was done sorting patrols, she told them the plan. "Leopard, Fox, and Rat will spread the word around to the Moonclan cats the evening we attack. Remember, moonhigh. It will be a dark night, since it's going to be a little past the new moon. Train yourselves to fight without much light, but don't attract attention. I'll see you in two nights."

...

Moonstar watched Queen leave the prisoners' den, her eyes narrowed. Rat followed her at a distance, like he was supposed to. The leader was never sure what Queen did in that den. She jumped down from her den.

"Rubyfang, take over watch for Rat. I need to speak with him," she murmured in the russet she-cat's ear. Rubyfang was always Rat's replacement, but Moonstar didn't know that Rubyfang was loyal to Queen.

"Rat, come to my den," Moonstar said strictly.

Rat ducked his head, following Moonstar. Once Moonstar settled down comfortably, she stared Rat down. She enjoyed doing this, as it made her Clanmates feel small.

"Tell me why Queen spends so much time in the Clan cats' den," she finally demanded.

Rat swallowed. "She likes to go there and... punish any cat that is not doing their job."

Moonstar narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe Rat, but she wanted to figure it out on her own.

"Alright. You may go," Moonstar said.

She watched Rat go and take Rubyfang's place. Queen sat down next to Rat, and Moonstar was disgusted to see the happy love on Queen's face. _Bleh_.

...

Finally, the night came. Queen had sent Leopard, Fox, and Rat to spread the message, and Queen was in the Clan cats' den, watching them get in last minute practice. Despite the fact that Queen's cats were the only ones guarding, the cats still kept quiet, for fear that a Moonclan cat would hear.

"Night, aim a little higher. Fernpaw, a little quicker. Very good, Wrencloud." Queen was making little comments. The whole den was abuzz with nervous energy.

Queen sat next to Rat as they ate their meal, waiting for dusk to come. Neither spoke.

"Hey, Queen, I finished," murmured Leopard discreetly as she passed by the former kittypet.

Queen nodded. "Fox is over there. He finished right before you."

Leopard nodded and padded over to him. Queen watched as the whole Clan began to yawn, cats padding to their den. After most of the cats had gone to their nests, Queen and Rat went to theirs. They had discreetly been shifting their nests until they were right near the entrance.

Queen cracked open one eye, watching as Moonstar padded to her den. She pricked her ears, hearing the soft snores of the Moonclan cats. She shifted her eyes ever so slightly to the right and saw narrow yellow slits watching her as well. She gave the tiniest of nods.

The two cats padded out silently. They had trained together in stealth tirelessly in the days of preparation, and they were both silent as shadows. Queen's black pelt and Rat's dark grey fur blended perfectly in the night. If any cat looked, the first thing they'd notice would be twin yellow eyes.

They nodded to the night guards, who followed them at a distance as the two cats padded into the Clan cats' den. Every cat was alert, doing last minute stealth training and reviewing plans under their breath. Everyone stilled and silenced when Queen walked in.

"Does everyone know their place?" she asked.

Every cat nodded. Queen noted how each cat was placed in their patrols.

"Perfect. Rubyfang's patrol will attack first. Duskstar's will go right after in on the apprentices. Next will be the elders and queens. Nettleblaze, Rat, you understand you do not kill the cats, just knock them out. Rat will take Willowwhisper and her kits hostage, so that she won't be free but she won't be killed," explained Queen, reviewing the plan every cat had probably already heard dozens of times either from Queen or from their Clanmates as they reviewed in their own time. "Remember, Oliveleaf's patrol, you help us attack, but you also have to watch out for any cats, such as Moonstar, jumping in to help their Clanmates before we've attacked them."

Oliveleaf nodded, her dark green eyes shining. "We won't let you down."

"Is your paw okay to fight? Sorry about that," added Queen.

"It's not a problem. Duskstar revealed to us the thing about his mate, and it turns out he knows a lot about herbs from her," said Oliveleaf.

"Really? How did they react?" Queen was genuinely curious.

"Well, some cats were rightfully angry, but Night talked them down." Duskstar sent a grateful glance to his friend.

"And to think they used to be enemies!" said a voice near Queen. She spotted Appleshock muttering, but there was no bad feelings on his face.

Queen smiled. "Appleshock, Flipnose, Leopard, Fox. You all know where you're positioned in the trees, right?"

There was a lot of vigorous nodding.

"Perfect. You will drop down after a few minutes. I will dart in and out several times, but my main goal is to draw Moonstar out of her den, but not close enough to the fighting for a Moonclan cat to help her. I hope that the battle will end when Moonstar is dead."

Queen's somber words held in the air for a few minutes as several cats ducked their head. Rat stepped forward. "Let's begin."

...

Leopard slunk through the trees, turning to see Fox's blue eyes watching her from the other side of the clearing. She gave him a reassuring nod. Then she swept her gaze over all the other cats in the patrol. They were crouched, silent, watching as Rubyfang's patrol moved like shadows.

Leopard closed her eyes as she heard the first screeches of battle. She blinked her eyes open, scanning for anyone who needed help. The other patrols moved in one by one, each taking their respective position. She saw Lucy fighting Spider viciously as he tried to force poppy seeds into her mouth.

The tan she-cat turned to the nearest member of her patrol. "Pebblesplash, go help Spider."

Pebblesplash gave a solemn nod before leaping from her tree, landing neatly on top of the medicine cat den, which gave her a perfect opening to leap onto Lucy's back.

The battle raged on. Leopard couldn't tell who was winning. She saw a few warriors jump from the trees from time to time, but no Moonclan cat seemed to have any time to look up and attack the cats in the trees. Finally, she let out a caterwaul and leapt down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Appleshock and Flipnose's patrol jump down at the same time. Leopard launched herself into battle.

She rolled under a ginger she-cat, tearing at her belly until she left Night alone and started fighting Leopard. Night quickly joined her, and they used swift, controlled blows to push her back until she ducked and ran away. She suddenly felt her tail jerk, and Leopard shrieked in pain.

She turned and attacked the light grey she-cat angrily. The cat's blue eyes narrowed dangerously as she attacked Leopard with swift, deft blows. She was angry.

"How dare you attack my Clan?" snarled the cat. "With my kits here?"

Leopard's eyes widened, and she narrowly missed a blow to her head with her distraction. "Willowwhisper?" she asked.

Willowwhisper rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"Where are—" Leopard rolled, springing back to her paws. "—your kits?"

"Ah, with Moonstar. She promised to train them at night. I'm surprised she didn't see you sneaking around."

Leopard clenched her jaw. She needed to tell Queen, but to do that, she would either have to get away from or defeat Willowwhisper.

She attacked the deputy with renewed vigor. A black she-cat dropped down beside her.

"Queen!" she gasped.

Queen battled next to her, ignoring Leopard as she focused on deft blows to Willowwhisper's flank.

Finally, Willowwhisper hissed and leapt away into the fray, blood trailing from her wounds. Leopard turned desperately to Queen.

"Moonstar's in the forest with Willowwhisper's kits," said Leopard.

"What?" Queen gasped. She shook her head and blinked. "Um, okay, come with me. If you see an available cat on the way, take them. We have to rescue the kits."

Leopard nodded, darting after her leader as they raced out of camp. Leopard saw no available cat, so she chased Queen, her paws barely touching the ground. They leapt into the trees and darted around, scanning the clearings for the three cats.

"There!" hissed Leopard.

Queen turned and nodded, leaping down silently behind the white-and-ginger leader as Leopard circled around in the tree to get the best angle of the kits.

...

Moonstar watched the kits train. Crescentkit attacked Pinekit with her tiny kit claws. Suddenly, she saw a gleam of eyes behind the kits. A faint rustle sounded behind her.

"Hello, Queen," said Moonstar, keeping her eyes on the kits.

Queen padded next to her and sat down. "Hello."

Both were silent for a long moment. Then Moonstar spoke. "You know, I liked you. You were the golden cat, the best fighter I ever had. I saw you walking around, talking to cats, visiting the Clan cats so often, but I refused to be suspicious."

Queen was silent. Moonstar glanced ever so slightly to the side. The black kittypet was sitting with her head slightly cocked, her unsheathed paws tucked neatly as she watched the kits. Moonstar knew that neither of them were really this calm. Both were prepared to defend should the other attack.

Moonstar sighed. "Unfortunately, I was right. Well, then, let's do it the old-fashioned way, eh? You and me, fight to the death. Your friend," added Moonstar, gesturing her tail towards where she saw the eyes, "may take the kits or whatever, blah blah blah."

Queen flicked her tail slightly, and a lithe tan cat leapt silently out of the trees and escorted the kits away, murmuring in their ears. Moonstar curled her lip, unsurprised. _Leopard!_

Moonstar stalked to the other side of the clearing, training her eyes on the black she-cat who had gotten into a battle crouch.

"You have a lot of potential, Queen. Unfortunately, you've never seen me fight. I took down all four Clans in a night. I can take you down, _kittypet_," sneered Moonstar.

Queen's eyes flashed with amusement. "You underestimate me."

Moonstar snarled. Queen leapt at her, and Moonstar ducked. Queen sailed over her and landed neatly on her paws, sitting down formally behind the leader. Moonstar slowly turned, her head held high.

The two she-cats lunged, hissing, as they clawed at each others' faces. Moonstar twisted, Queen's claws barely missing Moonstar's flank. Moonstar reared and slammed her paws into Queen's spine. "You are nothing compared to me," growled Moonstar.

Queen's eyes narrowed and the former kittypet kicked out with her legs, sending Moonstar sprawling across the clearing. Scrambling to her feet, Moonstar was knocked off balance again as Queen swiped at her ears, clipping one of them.

They battled on, neither cat winning and neither losing. Finally, Queen paused, panting. "You really want to do this?" she asked. "Because I will kill you. If you surrender now, perhaps I'll have mercy."

Moonstar smirked. "Too bad. I'm not going easy anytime soon." With that, she hurled herself at the black she-cat yet again.

Queen tried to dodge but was knocked off her paws as Moonstar slammed into her. Moonstar swiped furiously, timing her attacks until Queen's fur was more red than black. Queen stumbled to her paws, but Moonstar leapt onto her back, shoving the kittypet's face into the dirt.

"I told you that you're nothing compared to me. Look who was right," sneered Moonstar. _Did she really think she could defeat _me_? The conquerer of the Clans? _Moonstar chuckled darkly.

...

Queen closed her eyes, panting. Moonstar's claws were digging slowly into her neck, and blood seemed to seep from everywhere on her body. She was sweaty and in agony as she made a feeble attempt to throw the white-and-ginger she-cat off of her back.

"I swore," croaked Queen, her voice cracking, "that I would fight to my death to get the Clans' freedom."

"Too bad that had to become reality, didn't it?" mocked Moonstar above her.

"If I held you off long enough for my cats to escape, I did my job, didn't I?" Queen laughed weakly.

She felt Moonstar tense above her. _Perfect!_ Queen summoned all of her energy and bucked, rolling over and forcing her paws to stand straight as Moonstar hit the ground, her eyes wide with shock. Before she could lose her adrenaline rush, Queen hurtled toward the leader and bowled her over, sinking her claws into Moonstar's throat.

Moonstar laughed. "I didn't expect that," she said, her voice raspy as blood trickled from her neck. "That was good, kittypet."

Queen smiled wryly. "I'm stronger than you think."

Moonstar coughed and chuckled. "I've observed you, Queen. You have many weak points. More than me. I've known your strength for a long time. It's not as great as you think it is."

Queen shook her head, amused. "Then perhaps you aren't as detail-oriented as you believe yourself to be."

The leader made a choked sound before speaking, her voice raspier than ever. "If that's what you believe, so be it. It's time for me to take my place in the Dark Forest, where I will come back one day." Moonstar stared at Queen in the eyes as the sapphire orbs lost their light and the blood trickle thinned.

Queen stepped back from Moonstar's limp body, collapsing with exhaustion. She blinked, her vision fading as she succumbed to exhaustion.

...

Yellow eyes groggily opened as Queen slowly regained consciousness. She was vaguely aware of hushed voice and cats bustling about. She felt their stares occasionally tossed at her, but Queen felt sore all over.

"You're awake!" A relieve voice fell on her, lapping at her face anxiously with relieved energy.

"Leopard," murmured Queen. "What happened?"

"We defeated the Moonclanners. Around half died, and the others are being kept under close watch right now. Rat found you unconscious next to Moonstar's dead body. How are you feeling?" asked Leopard.

Queen ignored the question. "Where's Rat?"

"He's on guard for the Moonclanners. I should go let him know you've woken up." Leopard stood and licked Queen's forehead before exiting the den.

Queen craned her neck slightly, feeling poultices all over her body. She saw a light yellow she-cat sniff at her wounds. The yellow cat stiffened when she met Queen's eyes.

"I'm Lightfern, the Iceclan medicine cat. How are you?"

"Sore," groaned Queen, shifting slightly.

Lightfern smiled grimly. "I'm sorry. I've given you all the herbs I can think of. Rednose and I have been working hard to try and heal all of the wounded cats."

"Rednose?"

"He's the Cliffclan medicine cat," explained Lightfern. "Can I get you anything? Prey, water, moss?"

"Food and water, please," replied Queen. Lightfern nodded and left.

Rat hurried inside the den, gasping when he saw Queen.

"Are you okay?" he rushed, sniffing her all over and licking her head when he found she was fine.

"Yes, what about you?" asked Queen as Rat curled up next to her.

"I'm fine. Minor wounds."

Queen smiled happily. "What happened to Willowwhisper's kits?"

"One of them, Crescentkit, was caught in the crossfire, but we saved her and she's doing fine. The other kits are afraid, but Brackenfoot is with them, calming them down. As for Willowwhisper, we were holding her hostage, but she split her own neck open, killing herself." Rat grimaced.

"Oh," was the only thing Queen could say.

...

After several moons, the cats were healthy and ready to become their own respective Clans again. However, most cats had voted on leaving the territory, saying that there were too many horrid memories.

Misty had taken Willowwhisper's kits as her own, being especially attentive when she had Night's kits. The rogue kits were about three moons and deemed old enough to travel, and Willowwhisper's kits were seven moons. They had been made apprentices by Duskstar, as the kits were Cliffclan but Spottedstar was dead. They were, of course, given Cliffclan mentors.

It took a moon, but the cats finally settled into new territory, slowly separating into their separate Clans. Night stayed in Duskstar's Clan, becoming Nightshade, but the majority of his cats banded together and left again. Misty also stayed with her mate, bidding a heartfelt goodbye to her adopted kits as they left for Cliffclan. Her warrior name was Mistypetal, and her kits became Butterflykit and Yellowkit.

Rat stayed in Sunclan, so Queen, Leopard, and Fox did as well. Fox became Foxfur, Leopard became Leopardstripe, and Rat became Ratpelt. Ratpelt was named the new deputy of Sunclan, and Brackenfoot stepped up as the temporary medicine cat until a kit took interest, which wasn't long, as Butterflykit soon had a fascination with herbs. Rednose was the closest to them, so he also offered to help Sunclan with their medicine problems. Brackenfoot had also long forgiven Shimmerpool for his blindness, grieving the loss of his mother.

A new leader stepped up as the temporary leader in Cliffclan, appointing a temporary deputy, as the whole Clan agreed that one of Spottedstar's kits should take over once they had completed one mentorship. Leadership was in their blood. Luckily, only Pinepaw and Spottedpaw had no interest in becoming leader, while Crescentpaw was incredibly excited.

The Clans healed, seasons passed, and cats came and went. Queen kept her name, becoming a full warrior of Sunclan. Eventually, big things happened once more—good things.

Ratstar proudly looked at his kits. Queen was exhausted, but she smiled lovingly.

"Four healthy kits," announced Butterflypool, smiling happily as her mentor peered into the den with a small smile before leaving. "Three she-kits and a tom."

"Tomorrow night's the Gathering," whispered Queen to Ratstar. "Leopardstripe offered to take care of my kits along with hers and Nettleblaze's. I want to go."

Ratstar chuckled. "Of course."

"Thank you," murmured Queen. She turned back to her kits. "This one should be Shimmerkit, a tribute to Shimmerpool, although I never knew her."

"Brackenfoot will be pleased," replied Ratstar. "Can we name the black she-kit Blazekit? My mother was named Blaze, and I would like to honor her."

Queen beamed. "Perfect," she replied. "The last she-kit, the russet one, should be called Foxkit, after Foxfur."

Ratstar licked her gently. "Of course," he answered.

Queen's heart felt a pang as she remembered her best friend who had been killed by greencough. His mate, Lilysky, died in the same time period from the same sickness. Their one kit was, however, still alive. He was named Icepaw.

"And the last one? The tom?" asked Queen.

"Shadowkit?" suggested Ratstar.

"Beautiful," breathed Queen.

The parents looked down on their kits with pride and love. Then Ratstar left, promising to tell Brackenfoot and Icepaw about the tributes.

The night of the Gathering arrived. Ratstar assembled his patrol, and they set off. Queen walked next to Ratstar, happily leading the Clan alongside him. She had refused deputyship when he offered it to her, so he had given it to Mistypetal until she retired as an elder. Then it had been Oakspots, a young but wise warrior.

Queen left her mate's side as she walked among the cats, smiling. "Crescentwing," she greeted, dipping her head.

"Hello, Queen," replied the young white she-cat. "It's Crescentstar now!"

"You finished training Hawkpaw?" asked Queen.

"Hawkeye," corrected Crescentstar.

Both she-cats chuckled. Pineclaw and Spottedseed came up, and Queen bade them farewell. She found Yellowtail chatting with the medicine cats, including her sister. The elders were in their usual spot near the ferns, and Icepaw was playing with some apprentices. It filled Queen with happiness to see Icepaw happy, especially after Foxfur's and Lilysky's deaths.

The Gathering began. Ratstar announced his kits proudly and also spoke on Brackenfoot's, Mistypetal's, and Nightshade's retirement, thanking them for their service to the Clans. Crescentstar announced her leadership, saying that Blackshadow, the tom who had been the temporary leader, was now her deputy. She announced two new warriors as well. Dashstar, the new leader of Fernclan, sorrowfully announced Crowstar's passing, declaring Marshpool his new deputy. Queen recognized the slope of Marshpool's head and the shape of his paws. _Is that Appleshock's son?_

Finally, Rainstar of Iceclan stated that they had three new apprentices and one warrior. The Clans cheered, and they shared tongues before leaving for their territories.

Queen settled down next to her kits in the nursery, her eyes wide and alert as she watched the cool night sky. _There is peace. The darkness is scary, but the sun always comes back up. The night is forever changing, and Moonstar's reign has finally set._

**...**

**Whew! Finally done! Sorry this was pretty late. Also, I was rereading the other parts of the fanfiction from _Stormy Times_, and some of it doesn't match up to what I wrote for _Night Changes_, so just consider _Night Changes _the accurate one. Thank you to the Moonclanner again! This was so fun to write! The next story or two will probably be challenges for TorrentClan.**


	7. Lost and Found

**This is my entry for TorrentClan's challenge, "Lost and Found"**

**The Moonclanner - I didn't even realize I called them that! Haha, that's funny. Also, thank you so much! I appreciate everything. However, now I'm tempted to make yet another spin-off about Queen and her kits... maybe I will, just for you ;)**

Whispercloud settled into her nest, her heart heavy. It had been a moon and a half, and her kits were due any minute.

_Oh, Whiteclaw, I wish you could see be here to name and see our little ones_, thought Whispercloud, casting her head to the ceiling. Sorrow weighed heavily on her heart, and she forced the tears back.

Whiteclaw had mysteriously gone missing a moon and a half ago, and Blazestar had deemed him dead. They'd had a funeral, with Whiteclaw's sister, Mistypelt, and Whispercloud taking the head position at the vigil. Whispercloud had never felt so much pain in her life. Her kits were her only motivation to keep going with life.

"Oh!" she cried, a sharp pain stabbing her belly.

Rosefeather blinked groggily, her kits still peacefully sleeping next to her. "Whispercloud?" she mumbled.

"Get someone, please," said Whispercloud, wincing.

Rosefeather stumbled to her paws, hushing her kits as they blinked. The ginger queen hurried out of the den. Her three-moon-old kits looked around, confused.

"Whispercloud?" asked Rainkit. "Are you okay?"

Whispercloud blinked down at the small grey she-kit. "I—ah!—yes, thank you—arghh!" hissed Whispercloud.

The two kits recoiled, and Whispercloud apologized. "Sorry, Rainkit, Moonkit, it just hurts," she apologized, wincing as another contraction hit her.

Flamepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, rushed in. "Daisypelt is at the half-moon meeting," he explained. "Don't worry, I've assisted in kittings before."

"Alright," agreed Whispercloud.

"Rosefeather, get Mistypelt and then find the sturdiest stick you can find," instructed Flamepaw. He put a leaf pack next to him and opened it, getting to work.

Mistypelt arrived moments later, panting. "They're coming?" she asked.

"Yep," replied Whispercloud. "Ahh!"

"Shh, you're okay," murmured Mistypelt. Whispercloud blinked gratefully at her.

Mistypelt had been a whole five moons older, so Whispercloud had never had a close connection to her. However, after Whiteclaw's disappearance, the two had grown close.

"Get her some wet moss, please," said Flamepaw, cocking her head towards Mistypelt. The pale grey she-cat nodded, dashing out of the den again as Rosefeather rushed back in.

Whispercloud accepted the stick, crunching down when the next spasm arrived.

By the time dawn arrived, the stick was in splinters, the moss was half-dried, and two kits were nursing at her stomach. Whispercloud flopped over, exhausted.

"Congratulations," said Flamepaw with a huge smile. "A tom and a she-kit."

Whispercloud looked at the tom. It was white with soft, thick fur just like Whiteclaw. The other was light yellow, just like Whispercloud's grandfather.

"You should name one," the new queen said to Mistypelt.

Mistypelt blinked gratefully. "Thank you," she replied.

"I want the tom to be Whitekit, after their father," Whispercloud said.

"That's really beautiful," complimented Mistypelt, her eyes glistering with tears. She took a deep breath, then tapped the she-kit. "Honeykit?"

"Gorgeous." Whispercloud gazed at her kits, love filling her to the brim. Whiteclaw had left, but he had left her with two precious gifts. That was enough for now.

...

Whispercloud laughed alongside Swanfall and Darkleaf. Darkleaf was a dark blue-grey tom with equally dark green eyes, while Swanfall was the opposite of her brother. She was white with pale, even milky yellow eyes.

Darkleaf sidled closer to Whispercloud, and Whispercloud swallowed. Swanfall shot her brother a look, and he sheepishly moved away.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Whispercloud looked at him for a long moment. She felt happy with him, happier than she had been in a long time since Whiteclaw's death. She had cried every night in her nest until Darkleaf had moved his nest next to hers in the nursery and they talked themselves to sleep. Whispercloud had been surprised, but he had explained that he wanted to be there for her, even in the nursery, and Whispercloud had gratefully thanked him.

Whispercloud smiled. "It's fine."

Honeykit bounced up to her. "Mom! Whitekit pushed me!" he wailed.

Whispercloud nuzzled him. "I'll talk to her," she promised.

Satisfied, Honeykit sent his sister a smug look. Whitekit pouted, and she stalked to the nursery. Whispercloud purred and followed them.

That night, Whispercloud sidled up next to Darkleaf. He looked surprise, but he relished in the embrace.

_I need to move on, _Whispercloud thought. _I think it's time._

_..._

Flamewing called Whispercloud into his den. Whispercloud padded in, scenting the sharp, refreshing tang of herbs. Honeypaw and Sunpaw were out training and Darkleaf, Swanfall, and Mistypetal were all out on patrol. Whispercloud was bored, and she was glad to have something to do.

"I suppose you already know what I'm about to tell you?" Flamewing asked.

Whispercloud tilted her head. "Know what?"

Flamewing's eyes twinkled. "Oh, you don't? Well, then, take a guess."

Whispercloud frowned, thinking back to the recent days. Suddenly, a sensation grew on her. "Am I..." She gasped.

"Expecting kits, yes." Flamewing beamed.

Whispercloud's eyes filled with happy tears. _Darkleaf's kits!_

Whispercloud immediately dashed out of the den, throwing a rushed "Thank you!" behind her as she darted into the forest to find her mate. Suddenly, she crashed into a wall of white. Blinking she shook her head. Her head turned up and her amber eyes met brown.

"W-what?" she stammered. _Am I seeing ghosts now? _Panic choked her. _Am I hallucinating?_

Whiteclaw stared at her, breathing heavily. "Whispercloud?" he murmured.

Whispercloud swallowed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Whiteclaw opened and closed his jaws, unsure of what to say. "I had to leave."

Pain stabbed at Whispercloud. She shook her head, struggling to work everything out. "Why?" she finally asked.

"The Clan... it was too much. I needed to leave," said Whiteclaw. "There was too much pressure, and being a warrior, for the first time, felt like a task, not a way of life."

Whispercloud gazed at him, so much love and sadness in her heart. "Whiteclaw..."

A figure padded through the bushes. Both cats snapped their heads over to where Darkleaf was standing, a rabbit in his jaws, shock on his face.

"Darkleaf!" exclaimed Whispercloud.

"Whispercloud," greeted Darkleaf, his eyes trained on Whiteclaw. "What's he doing here? Isn't he dead?" Mixed emotions played across his face. Betrayal, confusion, hurt, desperation.

"I ran into him today when I was looking for you," explained Whispercloud. Darkleaf looked away, then met her eyes again.

"Why did you need to see me?" asked Darkleaf.

"Um, I should tell you in private," muttered Whispercloud.

Darkleaf looked curious, but he nodded. "Okay. Should we go back to Blazestar?" His words were stiff, unfeeling. Whispercloud felt her heart crack when he avoided her gaze.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

They followed Darkleaf silently through the forest. He didn't speak to either of them, simply led them forward. They entered the clearing, and cats looked up and gasped.

"Whiteclaw!"

"Is he back from the dead?"

"What does he want?"

"What happened?"

Darkleaf headed straight to Blazestar's den. Whiteclaw looked around, nervously greeting his former Clanmates, then he followed the dark blue-grey tom to the leader's den.

The cats paced anxiously all day as they waited for Whiteclaw to come out. Mistypelt came back from patrol, and when she heard the news, she was so shocked. She was sitting in a corner, staring at the den with hollow eyes.

Whitepaw and Honeypaw ran up to her, asking what was going on.

"A warrior went missing before you were born," she explained. "He's back now."

Sunpaw tilted his head. "Who?"

"His name is Whiteclaw," replied Whispercloud. She didn't want her kits to know the truth.

"Hm," said Whitepaw, her head tilted. "Sort of like me."

Whispercloud nodded silently, a pang in her chest.

Darkleaf bounded out of the den, and cats surrounded him, asking what was going on. He gently pushed them away before heading to Whispercloud's side. "What did you need to tell me?" he asked.

Whispercloud swallowed. "Come to the den."

In there, Whispercloud took a breath. "So... earlier today, Flamewing called me into his den." She licked her chest fur.

"What for?" Darkleaf asked. Concern glimmered in his eyes.

Whispercloud smiled slowly. "We're... we're expecting kits."

Darkleaf's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes!" Whispercloud replied, a huge smile on her face. Darkleaf began to grin.

"We're going to have kits?" he asked, licking her face all over.

"Yes, yes yes!" exclaimed Whispercloud.

The mates fell over, laughing and exclaiming in delight. Suddenly, Whispercloud became aware of a figure standing at the entrance to the den. She slowly lifted her eyes, dreading what she would see. Whiteclaw was looking at her in disbelief.

Whispercloud stared back, and her smile vanished. Darkleaf slowly backed away and out of the den, leaving the two former mates to talk. Whispercloud looked after him desperately.

"So... you moved on." Whiteclaw's voice revealed nothing.

"Yeah," answered Whispercloud.

The den was silent. Honeypaw and Whitepaw bounded in.

"Mom! Mom! Honeypaw—" Whitepaw cut off, staring back and forth between the two warriors.

"Is this your first litter with Darkleaf?" Whiteclaw sounded strained.

Whispercloud swallowed. "Darlings, I'll meet you outside. I need to talk to Whiteclaw."

Her kits nodded solemnly and left. Whiteclaw faced Whispercloud expectantly. "Well?"

"Actually... they're yours," admitted Whispercloud.

Whiteclaw simply stared. And stared. And stared. The silence grew uncomfortable.

"Well, I should leave," Whispercloud said abruptly, standing and exiting the den.

...

The days that came and went were incredibly awkward. Whispercloud avoided Whiteclaw, spending all of her time with her kits and friends. Darkleaf seemed to avoid her as well, but he did occasionally say hello. It hurt her so much, to see her mate like this.

The day that Whispercloud had her kits was rainy. Flamewing rushed inside the nursery, and he delivered three healthy kits. Darkleaf was at her side most of the time, stroking her head and comforting her. After the kits were born, Whiteclaw stopped by to say hello, but Darkleaf told him to leave.

"I want to name this one Cloudkit," mewed Whispercloud, touching the pale grey tabby she-kit that looked like herself.

Darkleaf nodded. "Whatever you want."

"You should name this one," encouraged Whispercloud, nudging the black she-kit.

"Hm," murmured Darkleaf. "How about Hollykit?"

Whispercloud smiled and nodded. "The last one should be Lionkit."

The golden tom yawned as if he had heard his name. The new parents chuckled softly.

Whispercloud looked up into Darkleaf's eyes. She shoved away all thoughts of Whiteclaw and focused on Darkleaf. _I love him more than Whiteclaw, _she thought. _I have to._

A few moons passed. Honeypaw became Honeystone, and Whitepaw became Whitepool. Swanfall had stopped by often, greeting the growing kits. Mistypelt had also spent a lot of time in the nursery, seemingly avoiding her brother.

Whispercloud was taking a walk one evening when she heard loud voices arguing.

"You let me think that you were dead!" hissed one voice.

Whispercloud peeked through the bushes and saw Mistypelt and Whiteclaw yowling at each other.

"I couldn't handle it! Do you think that I should've stayed when I felt like I was being choked under all of my duties?" yelled Whiteclaw.

"You could've at least said goodbye!" shot back Mistypelt. "Do you have any idea what I went through? What Whispercloud went through? What your kits went through, never having a father? You remember when Dad left us, don't you? You knew what it was like to be fatherless, and you still abandoned your kits!" Mistypelt's voice cracked at the end.

"I didn't even know she was expecting kits!" shouted Whiteclaw.

"Yet you still left your family behind without a word. What kind of cat does that?" Mistypelt looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, Whiteclaw's head jerked up sharply and he turned towards the bush. "Whispercloud?" he asked.

Mistypelt looked embarrassed. Whispercloud forced back the tears and padded out of the bush. "I agree with Mistypelt," she said, her voice hoarse.

Whiteclaw gazed at her, regret and sadness in his gaze. "I couldn't take it anymore."

Whispercloud laughed. "Seriously? I was ready to _die_ when you left! I would've slit my own throat had I not been expecting kits. You left us all. Do you know how much I cried, how much everyone looked at me in pity, how much I hated myself? I thought I was the reason you left, that I wasn't good enough, that you couldn't stand to look at my face anymore because of something I did. You made me think that it was my fault, and that killed me inside!" she snarled, letting out all of her anger. Tears fell from her eyes, but she didn't care. Her voice got louder and louder.

"And to think that you left without telling me? I thought you were _dead!_ You told no cat, let us all believe that you had gone to the stars. How many cats did you hurt because you were _broken_ and such a _pitiful cat _inside? How many?" she shrieked, tearing at the ground, her mind whirling as frustration exploded in her head.

"I'm sorry," whispered Whiteclaw.

"_Sorry_ doesn't excuse how many cats you destroyed! How many lives were crushed, how many dreams I had were gone. I loved you, but you didn't love me enough to tell me. Do you know how much that hurts?" howled Whispercloud.

Mistypelt was at her side. "Shh, let's go." Mistypelt murmured in her ear as she gently guided the sobbing mother away.

"I hate you!" screamed Whispercloud, then she broke away from Mistypelt and bounded off, running and running and running until she couldn't anymore. Then she curled up at the base of a tree, crying, until she fell asleep.

Whispercloud went back to camp the next day. It seemed that Mistypelt had told the Clan where she was, then waited for her in a cave nearby. Whispercloud felt immensely grateful towards her friend, and no cat fussed about her except for Darkleaf.

Whiteclaw's gaze was sad as she passed by him, but she sent him a glare so ferocious that he turned away.

...

Moons passed, and Whispercloud avoided Whiteclaw. She hadn't spoken to him since their argument, and she wasn't about to anytime soon. It was her kits' apprentice ceremonies, and she determinedly put Whiteclaw out of her mind.

It didn't last, though. Lionpaw was apprenticed to Rosefeather, Cloudpaw was apprenticed to Amberwing, and Hollypaw was given Whiteclaw for a mentor. Whispercloud's kits had picked up on their mother's extreme hate for Whiteclaw, and Hollypaw looked incredibly awkward standing stiffly next to Whiteclaw.

"I'm telling you, you have to switch mentors!" pleaded Whispercloud.

"I'm sorry," replied Blazestar. "Whiteclaw needs to prove himself."

Whispercloud scoffed. "With my kits?"

"I don't see any other kits, do you?" Blazestar asked calmly.

"Have him prove himself another way! I don't want him anywhere near my kits," hissed Whispercloud.

Blazestar shook his head. "I'm not doing anything."

Whispercloud snarled. "If you don't do anything, I will," she threatened.

Blazestar's eyebrows raised. "Like what?"

"Oh, you just wait and see."

...

Whispercloud watched Whiteclaw exit to make dirt. Hollypaw was talking with her siblings, Darkleaf was on patrol, and no cat was paying any attention to her. Whispercloud slyly slunk out of the camp, seeing Whiteclaw kick dirt over his business.

"Hello, Whiteclaw," she purred.

Whiteclaw's head jerked up. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but there was hope in his eyes. "Hi, Whispercloud."

"Oh, I know you regret leaving," murmured Whispercloud, her tail tickling underneath his chin.

"I do," replied Whiteclaw, looking nervous.

"I suppose you'll regret it for a different reason after this," said Whispercloud, her voice soft and menacing. In a flash, her claws were at his throat, and she had done a single, clean cut from his chin to his tail. Blood spilled everywhere, and Whispercloud heard a crack.

She raised her eyes up as Darkleaf jumped down, his eyes horrified. "Whispercloud..." he whispered.

The she-cat felt her heart break. _No one can see what I've done._

"I'm sorry," she said. "I love you so much."

Then she pounced.

**...**

**Well... I planned on making this a happy ending, but I had to :P I actually didn't decide to kill Whiteclaw until I was writing the part where Whispercloud talks to Blazestar, and then I only decided to kill Darkleaf in the middle of Whiteclaw's death scene. _Sigh_. I would've really liked to write more on Whispercloud's kits' personalities, but I didn't have enough space (I'm already over the word limit!) Anyways, this is my entry for TorrentClan's _Lost and Found_ challenge.**


	8. Dawn

**This chapter is dedicated to the Moonclanner, as it is a sequel to the sequel about Queen's kits!**

**Frecklesong - Thank you so much! And thanks for the feedback, too.**

Shadowsong glanced around the clearing. Queen was chatting with the elders, Ratstar was dozing on a rock, his siblings were on patrol, and his mate, Yewtail, was hunting. Shadodwsong's claws itched. He needed something to do.

Shimmerpelt padded into camp alongside Icefur and Blazefire. They were laughing and talking, and Shadowsong looked after his sisters wistfully as they sat down together, chatting away.

Shadowsong had always been secluded from his Clan, a private cat. He'd never had much interaction with them except when he had to or if it was Yewtail. Even his parents didn't pay much attention to him, and he turned away from them as well.

Duskberry dipped his head as Shadowsong passed by. The black tom walked around the forest, listening to the birds and smelling the sweet, fresh air. Suddenly, he stiffened.

"Hello?" he called out.

A young red, black, and white tortoiseshell peeked out from behind a tree. "Hi!" she chirped, her voice bright.

Shadowsong peered at her. The cat looked less than ten moons, with fluffy, groomed fur and a blue collar around her neck. _A kittypet_. Shadowsong's lip curled.

"I'm Rose," continued the kittypet. "My housefolk just moved here recently. Who are you?"

Shadowsong licked a paw idly. "That's not important."

Rose tilted her head, confused. "Where's your family?"

Shadowsong smiled. "Let me take you to them." _I have to let Ratstar know, anyways._

He led her through the trees down the main path. Rose talked endlessly, describing her home and her Twolegs. Shadowsong flicked his ear irritably. _Does she ever shut up?_ He stifled a growl.

Cats looked up curiously as Shadowsong brought Rose into camp. He ignored them and flicked his tail, signaling to Rose to follow.

"Ratstar, we have a visitor. I found her on our territory," Shadowsong announced.

He looked around the den. Ratstar was in a meeting with his senior warriors and Queen, and he looked up, surprised. "Um, hello, Shadowsong." He turned to his warriors. "You can go. Queen, please stay."

Queen dipped her head as the other cats all grumbled and got to their paws. Once they were all gone, Ratstar turned his son.

"Wait," interrupted Queen before anyone could say anything. She was staring at the kit, her eyes wide and her ears flat against her head. "This kit... she looks like someone I knew."

Ratstar turned to his mate. "Who?"

"My sister," whispered Queen.

Rose looked back and forth between the adult cats, an innocent smile plastered on her face. "Are we almost done? I mean, I'm getting hungry."

"Rose," Queen said slowly. "What's your mother's name?"

"Golden," replied Rose instantly.

Queen frowned. "That's not my sister's name," she murmured.

"Yeah, and I have two siblings! Two brothers. SO annoying. We also live with my grandma, who looks just like me," chirped Rose.

Queen's attention snapped back to the kittypet. "Your grandmother?"

"Yeah, her name's Violet," said Rose.

"StarClan," whispered Queen. "That makes me feel old."

Ratstar gazed at his mate with a gentle look on his face. "Is that her?"

Queen nodded slowly. "I wish she could stay and be a warrior. I'd train her myself if I weren't growing so old."

Ratstar looked interested. He turned to Rose. "Would you like to live with us?" he asked.

Rose frowned. "I lied," she admitted. "She told me to go to the forest and find the cat with eyes like my mother."

"Who did?" Shadowsong leaned forward, his ears pricked in curiosity. "Who told you that?"

"My mother," answered Rose. "She got really mad at me, and she sent me away." Rose's eyes watered and she trembled slightly. Her glassy blue eyes turned despairingly on Queen. Shadowsong noted the similarity between their eyes. They were both narrow but round with a hint of mischief.

Queen gazed at the kit. "She always had a temper," she sighed.

...

Rosepaw blinked groggily. Shadowsong bit back a hiss of irritation. The former kittypet clearly wasn't ready to wake up early for training.

"Come on," he said roughly.

Rosepaw padded out of the den a few minutes later. "Can I eat something? I'm hungry," she complained.

Shadowsong shook his head. "After hunting," he replied.

Rosepaw audibly groaned, but she followed without further complaint. They headed deep into the forest 'til they got to a large birch tree. "Catch three pieces of prey and come back," ordered Shadowsong. "I want to test how fast it takes you to hunt."

Rosepaw nodded and scampered into the woods. Shadowsong sat down to wait. He scented squirrel after a few moments and got into his crouch. He stalked silently and swiftly pounced. He buried his prey and thanked StarClan.

Shadowsong caught four more pieces of prey and wondered what was taking Rosepaw so long. He decided to go searching for her.

After a while of searching, he caught her scent. He followed it to a small clearing where there was blood and scraps of fur. Rosepaw was munching hungrily on a vole.

"What are you doing?" hissed Shadowsong.

Rosepaw blinked up at him. "I was hungry," she answered.

"So? Warriors eat after queens, kits, and elders," he snarled.

"But I met Oakpaw a little while ago and he said that he fed the queens. And we're the ones who need our strength to hunt. Why should the elders get to go first? To tell more stories?"

Shadowsong couldn't believe the impudence of the small she-cat. His blood boiling, he hissed again. "Because that's how living in a Clan goes. If you want to stay, you have to follow the rules!" he yowled.

"But it doesn't make any sense," replied Rosepaw, her head tilted in confusion.

Shadowsong growled. "What _did_ you catch?" he demanded.

"Um, a mouse," she said.

"And?"

"And... that's it."

Shadowsong growled exasperatedly. "Come back to camp," he snarled. "You're on tick duty for a moon."

Rosepaw's face finally showed shame. Her ears flattened and her tail went down. "Okay," she mumbled.

Shadowsong grabbed his prey, slinging it over his neck and stretching his jaws to fit it. He refused to swallow his pride and let Rosepaw help.

Back at camp, Shadowsong marched into Ratstar's den. "Rosepaw is a mess," he announced.

Ratstar looked up, surprised, from his meal that he was sharing with Queen. "Um... I'm sorry?"

Shadowsong glared at the wall. "She doesn't understand rules, she's lazy, she complains a lot, and she just _doesn't get it."_

Queen smiled slightly. "Shadowsong, do you think that that reminds you of anyone?"

Shadowsong frowned. "Wh-what?"

"Stormytail used to barge into my den the same way you did just now and announce, 'Shadowpaw doesn't get _anything_.' He said that you were cut off from everything, rude, and didn't ever listen." Ratstar's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"I knew that there was a good chance Rosepaw would end up like you were," explained Queen. "But look how you turned out. Stormytail gave you patient training, and now you're a great, loyal warrior. I chose you so that you could pass on Stormytail's training to Rosepaw."

Shadowsong opened his jaws then closed them. "I-I don't understand."

"I'm friends with Stormytail," Queen said. "But he was always younger, more immature. I taught him to be patient. You need to teach Rosepaw why the rules are what they are, and be patient. She will understand with time."

Shadowsong pondered that for a moment. "Thanks, Mom," he said. "I guess."

He left the den, still deep in thought.

...

Shadowsong narrowed his eyes as he watched Rosepaw hunt. She brought a sparrow proudly to him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright. Bring that to the elders," he instructed.

Rosepaw frowned. "But I'm going on the dawn patrol. Shouldn't cats who are actually working get to eat?"

Shadowsong swallowed back a hiss and remembered his mother's words. _Be patient. She will understand with time. _

"Come with me. Bury your prey," said Shadowsong.

Rosepaw did as she was told and trotted after him to the sparring clearing.

"The code was made to bring order and justice to the Clans," said Shadowsong. "We believe in no killing, in loyalty, in compassion. We also believe in respect. When you feed the elders, you are thanking them for their seasons of service as warriors. Elders are a huge part of camp. They are the ones Ratstar goes to for advice, the ones the apprentices go to for stories, the ones who once defended their Clan proudly and valiantly."

"But why don't we get to eat before them and then they can eat?"

"Rosepaw, the elders rank high up. They are the ones who have defended the Clan for the longest time, the ones who bring life to the Clans. Yes, you do a lot of work." Shadowsong gazed at her in the eye. "But we have to teach respect and we have to teach how to deal with hunger. It will push you to be a better warrior, both physically and personality-wise. The elders deserve this, Rosepaw."

Rosepaw frowned. "I guess that makes sense."

"The Clan is a family," Shadowsong explained gently. "That means no cat is left weak or behind."

Rosepaw's eyes lit up. "I see," she said. "Thanks, Shadowsong!"

With that, she raced off, heading back to camp. Shadowsong smiled softly. _We are a family._

**...**

**At first, I didn't really have a problem for this story, but I reallyyy wanted to write something with at least one of Queen's kits. Also, I would've made Rosepaw and Shadowsong mates or something if they weren't cousins... **


	9. Death is Knocking on My Door

**My entry for TorrentClan's challenge, ****_Death is Knocking on My Door_****! Sorry for inactivity lately, school is more time-consuming than I thought it would be.**

**Death is Knocking on my Door**

Azuresky watched the young yellow she-cat stalk silently through the forest, her gaze focused ahead on a plump rabbit. Leaf-bare was finally over, and prey was coming back. The warrior pounced, then proudly sat up with the rabbit in her jaws.

"Thank you, StarClan," mumbled the she-cat. She padded off.

Azuresky followed, watching the cat drop the rabbit in the pile before glancing anxiously at the medicine cat den.

_Come on, Lightmoon, _Azuresky thought. _Just go talk to Whitefeather._

Her heart sank as Lightmoon turned away to head to the warriors den. It skipped a beat when Lightmoon stumbled, but the golden warrior simply stood taller. Azuresky admired her pride but wished he could scold Lightmoon's stupidity.

The sun rapidly set, and Azuresky prepared herself. Lightmoon yawned and curled up in her nest, and Azuresky waited patiently until the warrior slipped into deep slumber.

Azuresky slipped into Lightmoon's dream, confronting the cat for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Azuresky," groaned Lightmoon.

"I saw you hunting earlier," Azuresky said sternly. "You know that physical exertion is just speeding it up."

"What, so I should just suffer slowly in my nest?" hissed Lightmoon.

"No!" exclaimed Azuresky. "But get treatment! Talk to Whitefeather!"

Lightmoon's lip curled. Her eyes darkened, and she hissed again. "I'm done talking to that hateful tom." She spat out the words, as if she couldn't even bear the thought of him.

Azuresky sighed. "At least tell him goodbye."

Lightmoon snarled. "He left me when I found out I was expecting his kits! He just abandoned me, and didn't even say anything when two of them were stillborn and the last one died two days later. Why should I talk to him?" She groaned. "This is just my punishment for breaking the code with him."

"You were poisoned!" exclaimed Azuresky. "You were poisoned, and you don't even want to tell the cat you loved who also happens to be the only cat who could help you!"

"Why should I?" countered Lightmoon, her eyes flashing furiously. "He's nothing to me. Goodbye."

Azuresky blinked, and he found himself back in StarClan. Disappointment burned at the back of his throat. _Oh, Lightmoon. _His eyes drifted to the navy sky above him. _If only you knew how I love you..._

...

Azuresky watched Lightmoon continue about her warrior duties. His heart wrenched every time the she-cat stumbled or wheezed, but every time, Lightmoon got up and stood taller. And every time, Lightmoon glanced up at StarClan, her eyes flashing defiantly as if to tell Azuresky she was fine.

Azuresky turned away at last, deciding to go for a hunt. As he wandered amidst the green foliage, his mind wandered.

_"Come on, Azurepaw! We're finally going to be warriors!" Lightpaw bounced up and down around her denmate, purring with excitement._

_"I know! It's so exciting!" replied Azurepaw. "Hey, do you know where my brother is?"_

_Azurepaw immediately regretted the words as he saw the look in Lightpaw's eyes. It had turned to one of dreamy enchantment as she envisioned Whitepaw. Azurepaw wished Lightpaw would notice him for once. He loved Lightpaw more than Whitepaw ever would. And besides, Whitepaw was a medicine cat apprentice._

_"I was just about to go share prey with him."_

_Azurepaw's heart sank as Lightpaw turned and skipped away. With every passing day, Azurepaw was losing the love of his life to his own brother. Despair rang in his ears._

_"Why, StarClan?" he murmured. "Why me?"_

Azuresky shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He focused on a squirrel and swiftly pounced and nipped its neck. Sighing, he padded away. Not even the thrill of hunting could take away the ache that his memories had pressed upon him.

The tom saw Featherkit, Pouncekit, and Redkit listening intently to their grandmother, Sunstar, tell a story. Azuresky tilted his head affectionately. He saw Lightmoon in each of the kits, but a pang shook him as he saw his brother in them, too.

He turned back to check on Lightmoon, but he stopped, horrified, as he saw her alone in the forest floor, writhing in pain. She clutched her stomach with her paws, hissing for help. Unfortunately, it seemed she couldn't raise her voice, like the pain was too much. Azuresky paused, then began pacing furiously, muttering, wonder what he could do.

He finally decided to send a vision to Whitefeather. It took him a few moments to work his StarClan magic, but he watched, his heart in his throat, as Whitefeather stiffened and stared at nothing. Then he grabbed a bunch of herbs and ran out into the forest, ignoring the calls of his Clanmates. He only paused once to tell one Clanmate to not follow him.

Azuresky breathed heavily as Whitefeather knelt next to Lightmoon. He quickly unwrapped his herbs and got to work. Azuresky eavesdropped on the conversation.

"C'mon Lightmoon, stay with me," he murmured. However, as soon as he touched Lightmoon's belly, he paused. His yellow eyes widened, and he stared at his former mate in horror.

"I forgot you were..."

Whitefeather gazed at her, a tenderness in his eyes. Azuresky's stomach twisted into knots. Whitefeather sat straight.

"I need to stop your seizures before the spasms cause the kits distress. That could make them come out early, which is never good. Have you ever had episodes like this?" Whitefeather asked in a businesslike manner.

_Yes, _thought Azuresky. _Tell him yes._

"No," hissed Lightmoon, hatred in her eyes. "Just make me—agh!—better and then leave."

Whitefeather frowned. "I'll do my best," he sighed.

Azuresky settled down on the grass next to the cats, invisible to their living eyes. He gently brushed his muzzle against Lightmoon's, and her head jerked up.

"What? Are you okay?" asked Whitefeather.

"Y-yes. I'm just imagining things." Lightmoon looked around, then focused back on Whitefeather. "Ahh!"

"Oh, no," he muttered.

"What does that mean?" she demanded.

"The kits are coming," he whispered.

All three went silent. A bird chirped overhead, the only sound in the dreadful quietude. Suddenly, Lightmoon screeched.

Whitefeather pressed a paw against the queen's belly. Lightmoon yowled again, and Whitefeather shook his head.

"They're coming out fast, and they're coming out now. I don't have the herbs..." Whitefeather cursed under his breath.

Azuresky stood and began pacing. Suddenly, an idea came to him. It would break all the rules of StarClan-living interaction, but he couldn't just let Lightmoon suffer.

He darted into the StoneClan camp and grabbed raspberry leaves, borage, and burnet, remembering vaguely the herbs from when his sister had given birth. He hoped that he had grabbed the right leaves, and he raced back into the forest and dropped them not far from the two cats, but somewhere where Whitefeather would find them.

It took him several moments, but he soon began pacing, the way Azuresky often did. Suddenly, his head swung around and he saw the herbs.

"StarClan has blessed us," he whispered.

He hurried to the leaves, grabbed them, and brought them to Lightmoon. He also grabbed a few sticks and gave them to her. Lightmoon accepted them gratefully, splintering the first one within seconds.

"I see a head!" gasped Whitefeather.

Azuresky couldn't bear to watch as the cat he loved gave birth to his brother's kits. He covered his ears, trying not to listen to Lightmoon's cries of pain.

At last, he heard Whitefeather exclaim, "That's the last one!"

He turned and saw Lightmoon furiously licking one out of three kits. One was mewling, pawing at his mother's flank. The other was being licked by Whitefeather, but hope was fading from his face.

Lightmoon's face looked so broken as she kept licking the kit, refusing to give up. Whitefeather watched her sadly.

"Come on," he urged gently. "The other one needs milk."

Lightmoon stared at him, her face crumpling. "She's dead."

Azuresky wanted to cry at the pain on Lightmoon's face. Whitefeather looked just as upset, but he nudged the last kit forward. As the kit start suckling, Lightmoon glanced at him and her expression changed to one of fierce love.

"Skykit," she whispered.

Whitefeather nodded. He curled up next to his former mate, keeping them both warm. But Azuresky felt a different kind of warmth when Lightmoon licked Skykit and glanced up at StarClan. She had named him after Azuresky.

Azuresky saw Whitefeather leave early the next dawn, slipping back into camp unnoticed. Lightmoon woke not long after, glancing at her kit. His breathing was fainter, and the new mother's face twisted into worry. Suddenly, she turned away as she broke into a fit of coughing.

_Giving birth has drained a lot of energy she needs to fight the disease_, thought Azuresky.

He turned as a nose nudged his leg. Two small kits gazed at him, their eyes wide with wonder. Azuresky's breath caught.

"What are your names?" he asked them.

The female kit shrugged. "We didn't live long enough. We need to wait and see if our mother names us. If not, what happens?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll figure it out when that happens," replied Azuresky.

Both kits nodded. They looked down at Lightmoon and Skykit, all silent.

...

The days passed. Lightmoon grew worse, barely producing enough milk for Skykit. Whitefeather was visiting his kit often. The kit was born much to early and was barely surviving. It was worse, since he wasn't getting enough nutrition, either.

Azuresky had tried to help whenever he could, but Starclan cats were already suspicious that he was getting too involved. It was nearing leaf-bare, and Azuresky knew things would only go downhill from there.

It was a moon before he heard Whitefeather's cry of anguish. Azuresky had been preparing for this moment, and he didn't know how to feel. His love was dead... but she would be with him.

He turned, and there she was, looking strong and healthy. Her golden fur glowed, and her eyes shone.

"Azuresky," she murmured. "There's so much I need to say."

"You died. We don't have to do this now," replied the tom.

"Yes, we do."

Azuresky hesitated, then sat down. "Alright."

"First off, I think I still love Whitefeather." She sighed. "But I love you more. I thought that you weren't interested in me, especially since you paid a lot of attention to Honeytail."

"Honeytail was... she was my best friend. But she has never meant the same thing to me as you do," Azuresky said softly.

Lightmoon tilted her head, her eyes a little bit sad. "Whitefeather confessed his feelings for me not long after you and I had an argument. I thought I would humor him to get revenge on you." She swallowed. "It's awful, I know."

Azuresky shook his head. "I tried to make you jealous with Honeytail sometimes. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Lightmoon answered, shaking her head furiously. "I was mates with him, and I fell a bit in love with him, though my heart was always yours. When you died... it wasn't long after I'd found out I was pregnant. I thought I could find some comfort in Whitefeather and our kits."

"But you didn't."

"But I didn't." Lightmoon nodded slowly. "He thought I was disrespecting your death. Then he said he wasn't ready."

Azuresky sighed. "He's always been a bit selfish that way." His heart burned as he remembered times with his brother when Whitefeather had thought he was better, being a medicine cat.

"Yeah... he's like that. The disease came not long after when I ate that sick prey. I thought I would be fine, but my pride refused to take me to Whitefeather and the disease became deadly. You know what happened after that."

"Well... why don't we make the most of this?" asked Azuresky, stepping closer to Lightmoon. "Be my mate, Lightmoon."

Lightmoon smiled, happiness sparking in her golden eyes. "I would love that."

Azuresky gazed at her eyes, fireworks bursting inside him. It felt like the puzzle had finally been completed, like the universe finally made sense. The ecstasy raced through his veins, and he suddenly remembered something.

"Come with me," he urged. "Meet your kits."

Lightmoon gasped, her eyes shining. "Really?"

"Of course," answered Azuresky.

Lightmoon was already leaving the den. She glanced back and beckoned to Azuresky. "Come along."

And the mates raced off, tails twined, into the forest, happier than ever.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Whitefeather curled around Skykit that night. His mind flew through all his times with Lightmoon. All the missed opportunities, forgotten memories, beautiful moments. He hadn't had enough time with her.

By morning, he was curled around a corpse.

**...**

**O.O that ending was not what I was expecting to write, what? **

**Anyways I'm trying to find motivation and time to work on my stories, but my teachers this year literally assign the dumbest homework that takes all night. For example, my math teacher gives us like thirty times as much homework as last year, and he gives us like a gazillion tests (it's been four weeks of school!) Okay, that was my rant.**

**I will try to update "Frosted Desires" within the next week, but it's kind of unlikely.**


	10. Whitefeather's Unluck

**For the Moonclanner ;) Thank you so much for your support!**

**Also AUTHOR'S NOTE ABOUT "Death is Knocking on My Door": I made a mistake and said first that two of Lightmoon's kits were stillborn, then later gave birth. The accurate version is this one, where she gives birth later.**

**Whitefeather's Unluck**

Whitekit swallowed hoarsely, bouncing impatiently as he waited for Mintpool to treat him. He turned to watch the clearing. Azurekit and Lightkit were bouncing around, playing hide-and-seek. Sighing, the white tom-kit stared longingly.

"Hello, Whitekit. What can I help you with?" asked a voice behind him.

Whitekit jumped. He turned, and the grey medicine cat was smiling kindly at him. "I—" he croaked. Swallowing, he tried again. "I have a sore throat.

"Aw, that's too bad. Here, come into my den. I'll fetch you some honey and tansy." Mintpool whisked away to her herb stores.

Whitekit was staring at nothing when a shriek pierced his ears. Blinking, he hurried to the front of the den, unsheathing his kitten claws, ready to defend the camp. He glanced around, confused. Where were those cries coming from?

Mintpool raced out of the den, a bundle of herbs in her jaws.

_Hey, what about my throat? _Whitekit thought indignantly. He followed her, curious as to what was so important.

However, Velvetspot and Sunbranch were inside the nursery, ushering Azurekit and Lightmoon away.

"Now, Poppyleaf is kitting, so you need to give her space. You can come visit when you're done," said Sunbranch.

_Kitting? _Whitekit's mouth twisted. He knew that kitting was giving birth to new kits, but he hadn't realized it was time for Poppyleaf to kit.

"Is she okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course. It's natural," replied his mother, Sunbranch. The tortoiseshell queen wrapped her tail around Azurekit and Whitekit, smiling fondly at them.

"Okay." Whitekit was satisfied. "Azurekit, Lightkit, wanna play Hunt the Fox?"

Azurekit and Lightkit exchanged a look. "Erm... we were planning to play Leader of the Rock," explained Lightkit.

Whitekit frowned. "Okay. Then let's play that."

The three kits bounded off, laughing and bouncing around each other.

...

A russet she-kit and a smaller pale yellow she-kit lay nestled at Poppyleaf's stomach.

"Meet Autumnkit and Honeykit," said Poppyleaf gently.

"Keep your voices at a whisper, you don't want to wake them," added Sunbranch quietly.

"Wow. They're so tiny," murmured Lightkit.

"Yes," replied Velvetspot, stroking her kit soothingly. "You were once like that."

"Not that small!" replied Lightkit indignantly.

All three queens chuckled.

The next few days were a blur. The kits opened their eyes, and Whitekit, Azurekit, and Lightkit were kept busy teaching the younger ones how to play all the fun games.

"And then you just pounce on their tails," whispered Whitekit.

"But not Whisperwing's," added Lightkit. "She's a grouch at this time of the day."

"So what time should we be pouncing on her tail?" asked Autumnkit curiously.

"Mm, best is never, but if you want to, do it in the evening," replied Azurekit. "After she's eaten. She's never as grouchy when it's cool and she's full."

"Okay. So whose tail should we be pouncing on?"

"Thrushfur is pretty much deaf. Nightpetal is the nicest." Whitekit gestured to the black she-cat with hints of violet in her fur.

"Wow, her fur is really pretty. I call attacking her tail," hissed Honeykit. She slithered forward silently, then pounced onto Nightpetal's fluffy tail.

"Wha?" Nightpetal jerked awake, but relaxed when she saw the kit. "Oh, no! You got me!"

"Yay!" cheered Honeykit.

All five kits fell over in a fit of laughter.

Several moons passed. Azurekit and Honeykit became inseparable, while Autumnkit, Lightkit, and Whitekit formed their own group.

Until the day of the apprenticeship.

"Lightkit, you have reached the age of six moons and are eligible to become an apprentice. Dappledmoon, I hope you pass on your strength and courage to her." Wolfstar smiled, trembling a bit. Now that Whitekit thought about it, he _was _old.

"Azurekit." Wolfstar nodded at the kit. "You have reached the age of six moons, and are eligible to become an apprentice."

Wolfstar surveyed the crowd. Whitekit bounced impatiently, waiting for his turn. Oh, how the others would be jealous!

"Cloudstorm, your faith and power has persevered throughout your whole time in this Clan. I hope you pass on those traits to Azure_paw_." Wolfstar nodded with satisfaction.

"And Whitekit."

The white tom bounced forward eagerly, watching Mintpool out of the corner of his eye. She was standing, ready, her tail up and alert.

"Both you and Mintpool have requested that you become a medicine cat apprentice. I have granted your wishes. Mintpool, I hope that you pass on your knowledge and patience to Whitepaw."

"Lightpaw! Azurepaw! Whitepaw!"

Whitepaw lifted his head haughtily. _I hold a position higher than both Lightpaw and my brother! _he thought with delight. With that thought, he smiled smugly at Azurepaw. Azurepaw simply shook his head.

"Wow! Congratulations, Whitepaw!" Lightpaw was next to him, smiling at him. Whitepaw paused, entranced by her green-blue eyes.

"Th-thanks, Lightpaw. You too," replied Whitepaw.

Lightpaw smiled at him again, then she bounced over to Azurepaw, laughing and play-fighting with him.

"Alright, Whitepaw, we're starting our training now," Mintpool said from behind him.

"What are we doing first?"

"I'm going to show you a tour of the territory."

"Really?" Whitepaw bounced excitedly.

"Hush now. It's necessary. You need to know your own territory, and I need to show you the best spots for herbs." Mintpool chuckled at her apprentice's enthusiasm.

...

Honeypaw and Azurepaw were laughing and talking together, sharing prey. Lightpaw gazed wistfully at them. Whitepaw frowned.

"Come on, let's finish the rabbit," he interjected, a hint of something bitter in his heart.

"Um, right." Lightpaw looked momentarily distracted, but she smiled.

"Whitepaw!" Mintpool was calling him.

"Sorry," apologized Whitepaw, then he dashed off.

...

It was nearly time for the third quarter assessments, marking only a moon and a half left of training for the older apprentices. However, Whitepaw still had several moons for his medicine cat apprenticeship, which he resented, but he told himself he was higher in status than the other, which still made him better.

He was collecting tansy for leaf-bare, which was approaching rapidly. Then, his ears perked up as he heard Lightpaw and Autumnpaw.

"I mean... my sister said she really likes Azurepaw," Autumnpaw was saying.

Whitepaw peeked through some bushes, watching the two converse.

"Exactly. I really thought Azurepaw liked me, but he only ever pays attention to Honeypaw," complained Lightpaw, her face falling.

Jealousy stabbed at Whitepaw. _She's in love with my brother?_

"Maybe... maybe he's just not right. I know that Longcloud really likes you," Autumnpaw teased, nudging her friend.

"Oh, Starclan, no!" laughed Lightpaw. "I don't like that, and he likes Fallenrain. Anyways, he's too old for me."

There was a pause.

"I'm pretty sure Whitepaw likes you," Autumnpaw suggested hesitantly. "I know he's a medicine cat, though."

"Hm," Lightpaw said distractedly.

...

Whitepaw and Lightpaw laughed over the squirrel.

"I still can't believe you're willing to be my mate, considering I'm a medicine cat and you're... you're way out of my league." Whitepaw chuckled. "I always thought you liked Azurepaw."

Lightpaw opened her jaws. "Um..." Lightpaw frowned. "I did. But he likes Honeypaw, and I like you now."

Whitepaw smiled. _I can't believe I'm a medicine cat _and_ I have the prettiest she-cat by my side! _

"So, when's your final assessment?" he asked, then he lowered his head to bite into the squirrel's warm meat.

"Half a moon. I'm kind of nervous," replied Lightpaw.

"You'll be fine!" encouraged Whitepaw. "You're the best."

...

"Azuresky! Lightmoon! Azuresky! Lightmoon!" cheered Whitepaw. He resented that he didn't have his full name, but he supposed it was how it worked.

Lightmoon bounded over to him. Whitepaw barely refrained from nuzzling her. "Congratulations!" he said.

"Thanks," replied Lightmoon. "Ah, this feels so weird!"

"Don't worry, you'll be a warrior soon," said a voice.

Lightmoon's head snapped over to stare as Azuresky pushed his nose against Honeypaw. Whitepaw felt a stir of jealousy.

"So, Lightmoon," he said loudly.

"Hm?"

"Lightmoon," repeated Whitepaw, a bit louder.

"Oh, yeah?" The golden warrior turned to him.

Whitepaw frowned at her before stalking away.

"Hey. Hey!" Lightmoon ran up to him. "You don't just walk away, Whitepaw."

"Why not?" he growled. "It's clear you still care for Azuresky."

"And hedgehogs fly! I can't believe you don't trust me!" hissed Lightmoon.

"Maybe that's because I have a reason not to trust you!" snapped Whitepaw. "Don't talk to me." He stormed away.

...

"Whitepaw! Mintpool!" yowled Sunbranch. "There's a battle between some rogues and our Clan. There's a lot of them, and a lot of injuries."

"Coming!" Mintpool called. "Whitepaw, help me prepare leaf wraps."

Whitepaw's paws moved swiftly, grabbing marigold, dock, comfrey, horsetail, and more, wrapping them in small leaf packs, then wrapping those with cobwebs. When he'd packed those, he tied them into one big leaf pack, grabbing cobwebs and wrapping as much as he could around his paws.

"Ready to go?" asked Mintpool.

Whitepaw nodded, and they bounded out, following Sunbranch's patrol who had been waiting impatiently for them.

Mintpool led them to a secluded spot where they would be safe.

"I'll go gather cats, you stay here. Treat them, and tell me if you need help." Mintpool whisked away.

Wasting no time, Whitepaw sliced upon the leaf wrap and opened up a bunch of the smaller packs. He glanced up to see Dappledmoon limping towards him.

"My paw. I think I sprained it," said Dappledmoon, glancing back at the battle. "Hurry up, please."

Whitepaw quickly made a poultice of elder leaves and secured it onto the paw. He turned to wipe his paw. "Now, take it easy—"

He glanced up, but Dappledmoon was gone. "Mouse-brain," he muttered.

He squinted into the battle. Lightmoon was fighting deftly, attacking a tom twice her size. Whitepaw's stomach twisted into knots, and those knots did not untie when Azuresky joined Lightmoon.

"Whitepaw!" gasped Mintpool, pulling Wolfstar's limp body over. She started ripping through her herbs, talking quickly as she spoke. "He's got a long gash on his flank, a broken leg, and a bad bleeding from his stomach. I can't find the source of the third bleeding; there's too much blood. I need cobwebs, horsetail, marigold, comfrey, bindweed, and chervil."

Whitepaw grabbed a solid stick and quickly began applying comfrey and tying bindweed to the broken leg. He adjusted the bone position, then started on the flank. Mintpool was desperately using clump after clump of moss, trying to staunch the stomach bleeding.

"I need more cobwebs, Whitepaw," ordered Mintpool.

The white apprentice passed his mentor a few cobwebs. He turned up at a cry of pain, and saw Lightmoon limping over. Her leg had a nasty cut, but Whitepaw knew it wasn't as bad as Wolfstar's injuries. However, he couldn't help but be compelled to help her.

"Whitepaw! Wolfstar is more serious right now! Sorry, Lightmoon," added Mintpool. She thrust some marigold leaves at the golden she-cat. "Chew those up and spread them around your wound, and then bind it with cobwebs.

"Thanks, Mintpool," said Lightmoon, avoiding Whitepaw's gaze.

"Take it easy. You've only been a warrior for a few days." Something in Mintpool's eyes flickered, and Lightmoon nodded.

Lightmoon disappeared, and Whitepaw focused on Wolfstar again. Chewing, spreading, bandaging, repeat.

"Agh! There's too much bleeding! Whitepaw, take over. I need to find more horsetail."

Whitepaw took Mintpool's place and pressed his paw to the wound, applying cobwebs and herbs frantically. He pressed his ear to Wolfstar's chest, but the breathing was labored. He quickly grabbed some juniper berries and massaged them down the leader's throat.

He kept applying pressure and herbs, but nothing was working. Mintpool returned, and Whitepaw went back to working on the flank.

"No, no no!" yowled Mintpool, hitting Wolfstar's chest. "You. Don't. Die on me!"

Mintpool stopped and stared at Wolfstar's limp body.

"Stop, Whitepaw," she said hoarsely. "Stop wasting your herbs."

Suddenly, it hit Whitepaw. Wolfstar was Mintpool's older brother from a different litter.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Mintpool swallowed. "Next half-moon," she said quietly. "I'm taking you to get your full name."

Whitepaw's eyes widened, and he felt guilty for the happiness inside him. "Thank you," he replied.

Mintpool nodded curtly and turned, disappearing into the turmoil.

Lightmoon came out of the frenzy with Honeypaw, the two of them supporting Azuresky.

"Help!" cried Honeypaw. "He just... he collapsed or something!"

"What?" gasped Whitepaw. Running his paws over his brother's body, he felt heat pulsing from Azuresky's head. "Oh, StarClan."

"What is it?" asked Lightmoon, her face tense with worry. Whitepaw frowned at her.

"It feels like a fever, but it must be something more in his brain. He must've hit his head really hard, or suffered a really harsh blow." Whitepaw glared at Lightmoon and Honeypaw. "Why weren't you guys looking out for him?"

"I-I'm sorry, I was fighting this orange she-cat—" tried Lightmoon.

"Just—shut up. I need to focus," growled Whitepaw.

Lightmoon glared at him, then she jumped back into the battle. Honeypaw followed reluctantly, looking back at Azuresky worriedly.

Whitepaw worked distractedly on his brother, glancing up every now and then to look at Lightmoon.

"What are you doing?" hissed Mintpool.

Whitepaw jumped. "Treating Azuresky."

"No, I mean, you keep looking around. As a medicine cat, your sole priority should be your patients," growled Mintpool.

"Right, um, yes."

"No, let me take over," sighed Mintpool, rolling her eyes.

However, as Mintpool moved her hands over Azuresky, she froze.

"What? What is it?" asked Whitepaw.

"I-I think he's dead," whispered Mintpool.

"What?" shrieked Whitepaw. "I was just treating him!"

Mintpool glared. "Is this due to the fact that you were distracted?"

Whitepaw opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. A terrible sense of dread sank in him. _Was I so distracted by Lightmoon that I didn't treat Azuresky well enough?_

"Lightmoon," he muttered. "That she-devil! She distracted me!"

"You—" Mintpool began.

"No. The battle's ending. Let's go." Whitepaw's voice broke. He forced back any tears and heaved his brother onto his shoulders, grabbing any spare herbs in his jaws.

...

Whitepaw sat still at the head of the vigil, next to his mother. Mintpool had agreed that, due to the loss of her son, Sunbranch could wait to go to the Moonpool and receive her nine lives.

Mintpool was sitting by Wolfstar now, bowed over his head. Whitepaw saw Honeypaw out of the corner of his eye burying her nose into Azuresky's fur. Lightmoon was sitting next to Whitepaw.

Whitepaw stared blankly at nothing. Something burned at the back of his throat, and it wasn't sadness. It was fury.

The sun came up, and Whitepaw stood by Sunbranch as the elders lifted the bodies up and out of camp. Shaking his head, he started for the medicine cat den.

"Whitepaw."

The white tom paused, turning around to see Lightmoon.

"What do you want?" His voice had a hint of a growl in it.

"I need to talk to you." Lightmoon glanced around, then she leaned in to whisper. "In private."

Whitepaw debated whether or not to talk to her. Finally, he decided to humor her. "Fine. But make it quick."

Outside, Lightmoon shuffled her paws, her nerves clearly showing. Whitepaw sighed and rolled his eyes, impatient.

"Get on with it," he snapped.

"I'm pregnant," burst out Lightmoon.

There was a long silence. Whitepaw gaped at Lightmoon for what seemed like eons. "You..."

"I'm pregnant with your kits," confirmed Lightmoon.

Whitepaw felt a flurry of emotions—shock, confusion, a bit of joy, and then anger. "And you're telling me this now?" he asked, his voice low.

"The mood was so somber... and you needed to know before you found out through someone else." Lightmoon gazed at him, hope burning in her eyes.

Whitepaw shook his head, furious. "You little—" He growled. "You're telling me that after you failed to _protect my brother _and as a result, he died, you want to bring this up NOW?" His voice rose with anger.

"You needed to know," repeated Lightmoon, her voice breaking.

"You cannot just dishonor Azuresky's memory like that!" screeched Whitepaw. "You wretched she-cat!"

Whitepaw stormed away, tears burning at his eyes. _How could she do that?_

...

"I, Mintpool, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon mu warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help, he will serve his Clan for many moons."

Whitepaw grinned, and Mintpool regarded him with pride.

"Whitepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart for rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life."

"I do." Whitepaw's voice rang proud and loud throughout the cave.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. From this day forth, you shall be known as Whitefeather. StarClan honors your quick-thinking and determination, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of ThunderClan." Mintpool rested her muzzle on Whitefeather's head, and he smiled as the other medicine cats greeted him with his new name.

"Now, we visit Starclan," instructed Mintpool.

As soon as Whitefeather touched the Moonpool, he was greeted by his brother.

"Azuresky," gasped Whitefeather.

"Hello, Whitefeather." Azuresky licked his brother's head. "I'm proud of you."

The littermates laughed, and suddenly they were romping around, playing like kits.

"Oh, Azuresky, I'm so glad to see you," laughed Whitefeather. "Don't get any smart ideas about being wiser than me because you're in Starclan!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," teased Azuresky. He sighed, and his face sobered. "You... you should talk to Lightmoon."

"I just told you to not think you're smarter than me," sniffed Whitefeather. "And, no. I won't talk to her. She killed her."

"Woah, woah, wait. Don't blame Lightmoon—"

"It's time to wake up," interrupted Whitefeather, and he slipped back to reality.

Mintpool was smiling at him, but her smile faded. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," replied Whitefeather.

...

Whitefeather was sorting herbs. Mintpool had retired to the elder's den a moon ago, and he knew that Lightmoon was kitting in about a quarter moon. However, she never talked to or acknowledged him. He, in return, decided that if she wanted to ignore him, then he would ignore her.

He was just pushing tansy into a hole when he felt something. He stiffened as something enveloped him, like a spirit.

"Lightmoon needs help!" the spirit seemed to be saying.

He saw a vision of Lightmoon alone, writhing on the forest floor. Terror ripped through him, and he grabbed an assortment of herbs and raced out of the den.

"Where are you going?" called his Clanmates.

"Sorry, can't talk, don't follow me!" he yowled through his mouthful of leaves.

He saw Lightmoon's golden fur before he heard her gasps of pain. His guess was that she was trying to stifle them.

"C'mon Lightmoon, stay with me," he muttered, beginning to run his paws over Lightmoon's spasming body.

He tensed as he felt the swollen lump. Guilt shot through him.

"I forgot you were..." He took a deep breath. "I need to stop your seizures before the spasms cause the kits distress. That could make them come out early, which is never good. Have you ever had episodes like this?"

Whitefeather worked hard to push away the emotion in his voice, to sound professional. This was not his mate, just a queen in distress.

"No," snarled Lightmoon. Whitefeather flinched at the fury in her eyes. "Just make me—agh!—better and then leave."

Whitefeather's mouth twisted downwards. "I'll do my best."

He was opening his leaf pack when Lightmoon's head suddenly jerked up.

"What? Are you okay?" Panic raced through him.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. "I'm just imagining thing.

Whitefeather winced as his former mate screamed in pain. Suddenly, something caught his attention near Lightmoon's tail.

"Oh, no," he muttered.

"What does that mean?" she growled.

"The kits are coming." His voice was hushed.

There was silence, broken only when Lightmoon let out another cry of agony.

Whitefeather felt the queen's belly and shook his head, his heart racing.

"They're coming out fast, and they're coming out now. I don't have the herbs," muttered Whitefeather. "Fox-dung!"

He glanced around desperately, searching for herbs. He stood and wandered around, then paused as he saw a pile of the correct herbs in a small clearing. Wonder pulsed throug him.

"StarClan has blessed us," he whispered, daring to hope.

Grabbing the leaves and a sturdy stick, he hurried back to Lightmoon's side. He gave her a stick, and Whitefeather focused on the kitting.

"I see a head!"

Whitefeather worked effectively, sorting his herbs and licking the kits furiously. After the second one, he felt the queen's stomach, then nodded. The third kit slipped out quickly.

"That's the last one!"

Lightmoon furiously licked the pale yellow she-kit, and Whitefeather was licking a cream one. A small grey tom-kit pawed, mewling, at Lightmoon's stomach.

Whitefeather slowly stopped licking his kit, knowing that there was no hope. He felt crushed as he saw the expression on Lightmoon's face. She was still licking the pale yellow she-kit, despair evident in her movements.

"Come on," he said quietly. "The other one needs milk."

Lightmoon's eyes welled up with tears. "She's dead."

Whitefeather's heart broke at that moment, but he knew he had to be strong. He—_they _still had one kit. The small grey tom began suckling with a big of encouragement, and Whitefeather gave a small smile.

"Skykit," she murmured.

Whitefeather tensed, thinking of Azuresky, but he decided they'd been through enough. He curled around Lightmoon, determined to keep them warm. He did not wake up to hear Lightmoon's coughing at dawn, or the shallow breathing of his kit.

...

Whitefeather curled around Skykit after just having sat vigil for Lightmoon. He felt numb, like nothing mattered except for Skykit. He resented Lightmoon—he resented _himself—_for not coming to him sooner. Now Skykit was left to fend in the world by himself.

He gazed at the stars and could almost see Azuresky and Lightmoon bounding around each other, two kits romping around their legs with them.

At dawn, he felt a cold sensation and realized that it was his kit's body.

"No, no no!" he muttered. "NO!"

A few cats peeked at him, and Sunstar came in.

"Are you okay?"

Sunstar's gaze drifted to Skykit. Sadness clouded her face.

"Losing a kit is always hard," she said softly. "Especially when it's your nephew."

The whole Clan believed that Azuresky was the father of the kits, which made things hard for Honeytail. She had moved on, but she still believed that Azuresky had cheated on her. Whitefeather hoped that in StarClan, Azuresky and Lightmoon would explain.

Whitefeather walked out numbly as the elders gently began preparing the small kit for vigil. Sitting there, Whitefeather began to crumple inside.

_Why is StarClan so cruel?_ he thought. _Why me?_

...

Whitefeather had served his Clan for so many moons, and at last he found his way to StarClan. He was welcomed warmly by Azuresky, Sunstar, Lightmoon, and Autumnpelt. He stared sadly at Azuresky and Lightmoon's twined tails.

"So, you guys are mates, huh?"

Azuresky looked at him pleadingly. "Whitefeather..."

Whitefeather chuckled somberly. "It's okay. Her heart was always yours, brother."

Lightmoon stared sadly. "I'm sorry."

Whitefeather laughed, more humor this time. "Lightmoon! Stop apologizing! I get it now. Maybe it's because I'm all old and wise now, but I realize that there are some thing we need to move on from. So," he said, a mischievous smile on his face. "Who wants a good old-fashioned game of Leader of the Rock?"

**...**

**A LOT longer than my usual stories, but this is a whole lifetime, so...**

**Anyways, please review!**


	11. It's Not All About the Vision

**Hi. Sorry for not posting at all recently :(**

**It's Not All About the Vision**

Finally. Finally, it was in his grip. Finally, he'd found her. Finally, they'd have the life they deserved.

Blurred memories skipped through his head. A flash of grey fur, a hint of gold in her eyes, the eyes filled with fear.

He slowed his pace as he neared the horrible place. The walls were ashen and there was mold lining the outside. Thrushfoot wrinkled up his nose as the pungent scent filled his nostrils.

_"Skystorm, when is she coming back?" _

_The black tabby she-cat stared out in the distance, her eyes blank. Only the slightest twitch of her ear signaled that she had heard him. "I don't know."_

_He tilted his head and sat next to her. "Will she ever come back?"_

_Skystorm looked away. "I don't think so."_

There was a commotion going on. Thrushfeather padded around the perimeter, searching for the entrance to the building. He discovered a broken window around the back, with a branch growing right by it. Thrushfeather turned, and began scaling the tree.

_Thrushkit winced as he heard Skystorm screeching at the leader. The words were faint, but he could just make them out. Some cats were glancing tensely over, while others flicked their tails nervously._

_"We have to! It's been a moon, and you still haven't done anything," sobbed Skystorm._

_The leader's voice was a low growl, and Thrushkit turned away quickly as Skystorm thundered out of the den, pushing her way through the barrier out into the forest._

Thrushfoot steadied his grip as he edged nearer and nearer to the end of the branch. It was bouncing slightly, and Thrushfoot knew that it was now or never. He tried not to eye the sharp edges of the window, and leapt.

He shoved his tail into his mouth, muffling his groan of pain as he felt a glass edge slice his leg. Trembling, he removed his tail and glanced at his leg. Blood was pooling out of it.

He immediately began licking at it, pausing every few moments to survey his surroundings. He was in a musty room, and the scent of the beings in the other room was stronger. He could hear the yowling and hissing, and he saw a door cracked open leading straight to the action.

_Thrushpaw grinned with pride as he received his name. He turned to see if his mother was yowling his name as well, but the black she-cat stared at the sky for a moment before retreating to her den. Thrushpaw's tail drooped as he watched Skystorm disappear._

_"Come, let's take a tour—" Thrushpaw's new mentor, Brownear, cut off abruptly as he saw where his apprentice was staring. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle. "Let's go take a tour of the territory."_

_Thrushpaw glanced once more toward the den before following his new mentor._

His leg was clean and had stopped bleeding. Thrushfoot edged toward the door, but paused, afraid of what he might find. The yowls were a frenzy, and they suddenly exploded into madness. Something exciting must've happened.

He pushed open the door with his shoulder and gaped.

_Thrushpaw had demanded his mother talk to him the other night. After all, he was visiting the Moonstone already and she still remained distant from the Clan. She had told him much of the story, but he could not help but feel something was missing. All she had said was that __Mistlekit had been taken from them and Skystorm didn't even know if she was dead or alive._

_So Thrushpaw wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed when he couldn't find his sister among the cats in StarClan. Was she alive? Was she dead, but unable to go to StarClan. What if she was in the Dark Forest?_

A great crowd of cats were cheering, all facing towards something Thrushfoot couldn't see. He tried to push his way through the crowd, but cats glared at him and pushed him back. Thrushfoot edged out of the crowd and scanned the walls, looking for a way to the center.

He spotted tree branch breaking through a window, sticking inside the building. One cat was sitting on it, and she looked incredibly haughty.

_After his return from the Moonstone, Thrushfoot had been given his full name. He vowed to search for Mistlekit as soon as he got the chance. Before that could happen, however, he needed the complete story. With that thought, he stormed over to his mother._

Thrushfoot spotted a stack of boxes leading up to the branch. He decided that must be how the she-cat got up there, so he started leaping up the boxes. He noticed a few cats turn and stare at him in horor out of the corner of his eye. They seemed afraid for him. Thrushfoot was suddenly struck by the thought that this she-cat must be very powerful. But this was his chance, the one he'd waited for all his life, so he kept going.

"And what business do you have up here?"

Thrushfoot jerked his eyes up and met a pair of crystal-blue eyes. They startled him so much that he went silent.

"Are you going to speak?" demanded the she-cat.

"Your eyes... I think you're my sister," blurted out Thrushfoot.

The she-cat jerked her head up, her cold eyes melting to one of confusion. "What?" she gasped. She glared at him. "Where did that conclusion come from?"

"You have my mother's eyes. I-I came here, swearing to find my sister."

"What makes you think you have a sister from here?" The she-cat looked incredibly disoriented. Her eyes were flickering all over him, as if searching for something.

"I remember my sister crying as she was taken from me when we were kits, and my mother told me the full story," explained Thrushfoot. "She described me to you, and you look exactly like she said. But your eyes... you have my—_our _mother's eyes."

The she-cat stared at him. "So... what was my name?"

"Mistlekit."

The she-cat nodded slowly, closing her eyes. "My name's Mistle," she murmured. Her eyes opened wide, gazing at him critically. "What do we do now?"

Thrushfoot swallowed. "Come home," he said. "Come with me, and meet Skystorm and the rest of our Clan."

Mistle looked confused for a moment, but she didn't press. "I... I can't."

Thrushfoot was taken aback. "What do you mean? We're family."

Mistle shook her head, her eyes looking pained. "No, we're not. This is my family." She turned and her eyes wandered over every cat. They were still yowling at the center, but many had turned and were watching them. "I grew up here. My father is here."

Thrushfoot licked his chest fur nervously as he remembered his mother's tale.

_"I... I was mates with Darkstar," confessed Skystorm. "But I... did something I'm not proud of. I met with a tom in secret, and he was awful, and I loved him. He's your father."_

_Thrushfoot opened his jaws to speak, but Skystorm quickly continued._

_"When he'd heard I'd had his kits, he came and demanded that he got to take one. I knew what happened back where he was from. It's like a Clan, but a very violent one. Cats fight to the death all the time because it's fun. I begged him to stop, but he grabbed Mistlekit and ran away with her. I knew I had to tell Darkstar the truth, and he hasn't forgiven me since."_

"Our father kidnapped you," said Thrushfoot softly.

Mistle nodded. "I know. But he's still my father. He raised me. He made me leader. He made me the strongest cat here, next to him. He's really protective of me." She suddenly gasped. "Oh no. If he sees you up here, he's going to kill you."

Her gasp was too loud, however. Most cats turned to stare at them, and the ones still yowling fell silent soon after. Thrushfoot felt his blood run cold as a large tom stalked toward him. He began climbing the boxes, and Thrushfoot froze.

"I'm guessing that's him?" whispered Thrushfoot.

Mistle nodded slowly.

"What do we do?" asked Thrushfoot. "If you want to run back with me, now's your chance."

He was shocked when she shook her head and backed away from him. "When I became the leader, I swore to kill any intruders. Our laws here are harsh, and I've done things I regret because of my loyalty to this place," Mistle said. "It was great to meet you and to know I have more family, but this place is everything to me."

Thrushfoot turned back in time to see the large white tom leap at him, snarling. Thrushfoot tumbled off of the branch and smacked the floor, hard. The tom snarled and leapt down from the branch. Without a second thought, the warrior raced toward the room with the broken window, and in one big leap, he jumped outside.

He winced as his wound hit the broken glass, but he kept half-running, half-limping away until finally, he was sure the tom wasn't chasing him.

It suddenly hit him. "My father just tried to murder me," he mumbled. "I came all this way for my mother, to meet my sister and make her happy again. I thought we'd be a happy family... I thought she'd know me and love me. How could I be so stupid? She sat back and watched while he tried to kill me." Thrushfoot breathed heavily, then let out a huge screech.

He plodded back to camp. It was night when he arrived, and the night guard, Moontail, looked concerned for him but didn't say a word as she let him in.

It was from that day on, he became even more distant as his mother. All day, he sat in his den, replaying that day over and over. He didn't even notice when Darkstar forced him to retire to the elders' den, as he was dragging down the whole Clan.

He curled up in his nest every night, staring at the stars.

_Thrushkit gazed up at Skystorm. "What happens now?"_

_Skystorm let out a sigh. "I don't know, Thrushkit. I don't know."_

**...**

**Ehh, I don't know how to end my stories anymore. **


End file.
